Love thy Enemy
by alphaLMN
Summary: please review! It's year 7 of Hogwarts. Hermione is Head Girl and has changed alot over the summer. But even with her changes can she handle the new Head Boy? warning: very graphic. it's rated M for a reason. excludes much of book 6 and 7
1. Chapter 1

I'm putting this at the beginning and I'm only doing it this once. This applies to the entire story. I do not own any of the characters you may recognise from the books and/or movies. Nor do I own Hogwarts or any other settings invented inside the world of Harry Potter. It all belongs entirely to J.K. Rowling.

**Chapter 1**

The last day of summer. Her trunk was already packed. Hermione looked around her room, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

This was going to be the best year yet. She had changed a lot over the summer. She doubted anyone would recognize her. Her hair was longer now and had lost its bushiness. Her body had filled out considerably since the end of her sixth year at Hogwarts.

The best part was that since this was her last year, she could wear anything she wanted. Hermione took great care to pack all of her new summer clothes away. Even her new supply of makeup was tucked away in her trunk.

Looking in the mirror, Hermione smiled as she studied her reflection. Her dark blue denim jean miniskirt went perfectly with her green halter top. Her green ankle wrap platform heels were just even to add a few extra inches to her height. She had even pulled half of her long brown hair up in a green scrunchie.

A sparkling green eye shadow graced her eyes, a striking contrast to the black eye liner on her eyes. Her already perfect skin was clear of any cover-up. Black mascara lengthened her curling lashes. She added a dark pink strawberry lip gloss to her smiling lips to complete the picture.

A smirk formed on her lips, knowing that she looked hot. She was ready for this year. She was tired of being ignored. Quiet, plain little Hermione Granger was gone. This year she would be seen. She'd make sure of it.

She glanced at the clock. 10:30. Time to get going. She shrunk her trunk. Putting it in her pocket., she opened her door and was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

The large crimson train blew its whistle, signaling the five minutes left until the train's departure. Hermione hugged her parents one last time before climbing onto the train. Finding an empty compartment, she rushed in. pulling ut her trunk, she unshrunk it. Searching the truck, she pulled out her robes, put the on and bent to retrieve her Head Girl badge. Once she found the badge, she pinned it to her robes, stored her trunk and rushed out into the now empty hall.

Making her way to the front of the train, she entered the Head compartment. She looked around, amazed. This compartment was larger than the others. It was filled with a couch and chairs, a table, and even a game of wizard's chess off to the side.

Hermione moved to the couch sitting don so that she faced away from the door. She pulled a book out of an inside pocket of her robes and settled in to read. Five minutes later, Hermione was completely engrossed in her book. She didn't hear the door open and close. She didn't hear the quiet footsteps carry the Head boy over to her. And she certainly didn't hear as he sank into the chair across from her.

She did, however, hear the sharp intake of breath. The shock of someone having gotten so close and the excitement of meeting the Head Boy made her close her book. Slowly, she raised her head, looking to see the new Head Boy. She let out a small gasp hen her chocolate brown eyes met the stormy grey eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Draco Malfoy stared into the dark brown eyes, unable to believe what he saw. He knew Granger would be Head Girl, she was the top student in their year. When he walked in and saw a book, he knew he was right. What he wasn't prepared for was what he saw once he sat down.

She was sitting on the couch, legs stretched out over the rest of the couch. Her robes were open, revealing her clothes underneath. He knew that seventh years were allowed to wear whatever they wanted but he had assumed that the bookworm would continue to wear her uniform anyhow. He had never expected to see her in a miniskirt and halter top.

Who knew that she was hiding all that under her robes. His eyes traveled over her body. Her green pumps wrapped around her ankles. Her legs were long, he'd give her that. Her denim miniskirt stopped half way down her thighs. The green halter top was short, showing off some of her stomach. And her face, wow, had she changed. her eyes were lined in black eye liner and green eye shadow. She looked like a Slytherin instead of a Gryffindor.

"Malfoy," she said, but her barely heard her at all.

"Malfoy." she said again, her voice loud enough to draw his attention. Her looked up, into her glittering chocolate eyes. He couldn't help noticing the way her lips curled into a taunting smirk.

"Do you like what you see, Draco?" she asked sweetly, rolling her tongue as she purred his name. Her eyes were twinkling mischievously.


	4. Chapter 4

She watched as his eyed darkened. A growl escaped his lips and he looked as if he were about to move towards her. But as the door to the compartment opened, he stopped himself. They looked to the door as both Professor McGonagoll and Professor Snape entered.

"Ah good. You're both here." McGonagoll said, walking closer to them. Snape, Hermione noticed, moved silently behind her. "We wanted to inform you of a few changes that are custom to both Head Girl and Boy."

She paused, looking at them. They nodded and waited patiently for her to continue.

"As Head Boy and Girl, you will be expected to set a good example for your fellow students. As a way to accomplish this, you will both be given your own rooms, which will be connected by a shared common room. In essence, you will be living together."

Draco's eyes widened at this, while Hermione merely smirked.

"As this is your last year, and therefore your hardest, you will only be expected to patrol the halls one night a week. That way, you will be able to focus on your studies. Your rooms will be on the fourth floor, behind the picture of a lion and a snake. You will decide upon a password together. Once you have decided on your password, you must say it together to the portrait. You only need to do this once to show that you agree on the password." As McGonagoll finished, Snape stepped forward.

"Here are our schedules. You are welcome to stay in this compartment or go to another." He handed them their schedules, nodded curtly, and turned, walking out the door, McGonagoll close behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

So she got a private room and she would be living with Draco Malfoy? This year was getting better every minute. Once the door close, she turned her eyes back to Malfoy, who sat, frozen in his chair. His eyes were staring back at her.

"So, Malfoy. You never answered my question." Her lips curved into a smile as she spoke.

He seemed to be taken back. "What…what question?" he stammered, hating himself for sounding like an awkward teenager.

She smirked as she pushed herself off the couch. She walked over to where he sat, not three feet away, and bent over to come face to face with him. Putting her hands on the arms of the chair, her lips were just inches from his ear. Hermione whispered to him. "Do you like what you see, Draco?"

Letting his name roll off her tongue, she pulled back slowly, letting her warm breath trail over his cheek as she did so. The look in his eyes was all the answer she needed. He wanted her. His need burned in his eyes. She smiled, this was going to be fun. She brought her face close to his again. This time, bringing her lips close enough to almost touch his.

"Well Draco? Do you like what you see?" She felt his lips part slightly, sucking in a deep breath. She smirked and closed the distance between their lips. Her lips brushed his briefly and before he could respond, she pulled away. Standing up straight, she smiled. The she turned and walked to the door.

Hermione reached out, turning the handle on the door and walked out without turning back. She would go and find her truck. Hopefully her friends had already found it. She couldn't wait to see the looks on Ron and Harry's faces when they saw her.


	6. Chapter 6

Draco sat, his eyes fixed on the door. His gaze followed her as she walked down the hall, until she disappeared from sight.

_What the hell just happened? _He had just been kissed by Hermione Granger. _No. _He had just been kissed by Hermione Granger_ and he liked it! He wanted her. Her, a mudblood. What was wrong with him? Malfoys didn't want mudbloods._

_There was nothing wrong with him. She was hot. He knew that. But a mudblood? How could he want a mudblood?_

_Draco could still feel her breathe on his cheek, in his ear. He could still feel her lips on his. His tongue snaked out, running along his lips. He could taste a faint hint of her lip gloss. It tasted like strawberries._

_Closing his eyes, Draco let his head fall back, resting against the back of the chair. He let his mind drift back to Hermione. She had bent over him, her breasts just inches from his face as she whispered in his ear._

_His hands gripped the chair to stop himself from reaching out to her. He wanted to grab her, pull her down on top of him. He wanted to run his hands over her body, stripping away those clothes as he went. He wanted to feel her come alive under his touch. He wanted to take her then, he still did._

_But it was only lust. That was all. For the last three months of summer, his only bed companion was Pansy Parkinson. Oh how he hated her. But finally, she was out of his life. Or as out of it as he could hope for. She had followed him around all summer like some lovesick dog until he finally snapped. He told her to stay away from him and she did._

_Now he wanted something new. He wanted something he should never want. Draco Malfoy wanted Granger._


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione walked down the hall, passing each compartment until she reached the one with her trunk. Peering inside, she was glad to see that her friends were inside. Ginny sat beside Harry while Ron stretched out on the other seat.

She grabbed the handle, pulling open the door. Three heads turned to her at once, looking to see who was there. A smile crept onto her face as she looked at Ron's jaw dropping and Harry's eyes widen.

"Hey guys" Her smile widened. She walked over to Ron and bent to hug him. Then, turning around, she bent to hug, first Ginny, then Harry.

"Bloody hell Hermione! What happened to you?" The question come from Ron, causing her to have to turn in order to see him.

Her smile faded to a pout as she looked at him. "Don't you like it? I thought I looked okay…" Even to her own ears, Hermione had to admit, she managed to sound hurt.

Ron's face turned as red as his hair as he looked away mumbling something about looking too good.

Satisfied, Hermione turned to Ginny, who sat stock still, looking at her. "So Ginny," she said happily, "what do you think?"

Ginny stared at her for a moment longer before she laughed warmly. "You look brilliant Hermione. You're so beautiful!" A smile lit up her face. "What in Merlin's beard did you do?"

For the next half hour, Hermione sat next to Ron. She told Ginny about her summer and how she had just fallen in love with the new clothes. They talked about clothes, makeup and hair until the trolley arrived.

Finally, Hermione stood and stretched. She took her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at her trunk, shrinking it. She reached up and grabbed it, stuffing it into her robe pocket before heading to the door.

Turning back to them she smile. "Sorry guys, but I have to get back to the Head compartment. I need to talk to the Head Boy before we get to Hogwarts. I'll see you guys at the feast though." Without waiting for them to reply, Hermione opened the door and was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Draco sighed when he heard the door of the compartment open. He had hoped his friends wouldn't come looking for him. He really just wanted to be left alone. Draco kept his eyes closed, waiting for them to take the hint and leave.

When he heard the soft thud of someone sitting on the ouch he gave up. Opening his eyes to tell his friends to leave, he was startled to find Granger sitting across from him. Sitting on the couch, her legs tucked up under her was causing her skirt to hitch up her legs further. She was smiling.

"Granger…" he said warily. "What do you want?"

"Now, now Draco. I only came to talk to you about the password for our rooms. We do have to figure out something we agree on, after all."

He stared at her. _Password? Our room? Oh, right. They were to be living together. "I don't care. Whatever you want. Just choose something." Had he really just let her decide._

_Apparently their minds were running the same path because Hermione sat there, looking at him with open disbelief. That, however, didn't last long as a grin broke out over her face. Uh oh. This couldn't be good. He watched as she raised her hand and crooked a finger at him, calling him to her. Before he knew what he was doing, Draco was out of hi chair and stepping towards her._

_She patted the couch next to her, telling him to sit beside her. Draco moved to the end of the couch, sitting down slowly._

_She smiled again, a light laugh escaping her strawberry clad lips. "Relax Malfoy. I won't bite." Then her eyes darkened and her lips took on the sensuous curve of a seductive smile. She unfolded her legs and moved closer to him, crawling slowly across the couch. He turned sideways to watch her and she placed a hand on either side of him. Leaning in to whisper in his ear, she said softly. "Unless you want me to, that is."_

_That was all it took. He reached for her, his hands grabbing her waist to hold her. He pushed her back, forcing her to lay on the couch. Then he was above her, looking down at her with lust darkened eyes. Something flashed in her eyes and he was sure she was going to slap him._

_A moment passed and she hadn't hit him though. He stared at her, studying the look in her eyes. Startled, he realized that it wasn't fear he saw there but anticipation. Realizing this, Draco forgot himself, bringing his mouth down on hers._


	9. Chapter 9

His lips crushed down on hers. He pushed her into the couch and a thrill ran over her body. Her arms snaked up his chest and around his neck. Her hands twisted in his platinum blond hair, pulling him closer.

Parting her lips, her tongue ran across his mouth, teasing his lips open. Slowly, his lips parted. But Hermione only continued to tease his lips, never moving her tongue and further than his lips. Never deepening the kiss.

When Draco could take the teasing no longer, his own tongue finally snaked out. Running it's own path along her lips. He tasted the strawberry lip gloss on her lips. It was intoxicating when mixed with her own unique taste. He pushed his tongue past her lips to invade her mouth. He explored her mouth, tasting every inch of it.

A groan escaped her lips. The sound was of pure pleasure and his grip tightened on her waist as he ground his hips against hers. He growled when she thrust her own hips up to meet his. Her hands tightened in his hair and she pulled. Pushing back with her own body, Hermione forced Draco onto his back, climbing on top of him.

The look on his face was one of complete shock. He stared up at her, eyes wide. Her hands untangled themselves from his hair and managed t capture his wrists. Pulling his hands above his head, she smirked at the look of shock clear on his face. Her head dipped down until her lips caught his once more.

He struggled against her hands holding his wrists, too shocked to really fight back. Suddenly, she released his wrists and got off of him, moving to sit in a chair across from him.

Draco lay there for a moment, unmoving, before he finally sat up, turning to face her. They sat in silence, staring at one another. Hermione reached in her robe, pulling out her wand. Slowly, she raised her wand, pointing it at Draco. She watched as his eyes widened in horror. She chuckled.

"Don't worry Draco." she flicked her wand and watched as his arms snapped to his sides, his body wrapped in an invisible rope. "I just want to make sure you stay put."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about Granger? You started that!"

She looked at him as though she were considering that what he said could be possible. Then she smiled, looking at him, "So I did." She tucked her wand away, he eyes never leaving his.

His mouth dropped open as he watched her put her wand back in her robes. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice loud enough to be yelling. "Take your wand out and let me go!"

"No."

"No? What do you mean 'No'? You can't leave me tied up like this!"

Hermione stood up and walked over to stand in front of him. "Wanna bet?" Then she was straddling him. One knee was on each side of Draco's legs. She pushed her hands thru his hair, grabbing handfuls of it and pulling his head back.

She leaned in closer to him, pressing her chest to his. Their faces were so close that he could feel her breath on his lips as she spoke. "I've decided on a password, Draco…"

He swallowed hard, his eyes straying to her lips. He could smell her lip gloss on her breath too. His tongue ran out along his lips as if to taste it. Her eyes shot to his mouth, watching as his tongue moved over his lips.

Crushing his mouth with her own, she slipped her tongue in his mouth. Her tongue ran along his, curling around it. He hesitated, aware that he was still tied down. Her lips moved from his mouth to his ear and she whispered t him softly. "The password is… temptation." she smirked and pulled back to look at his face.

His eyes were dark again. His breath fast and shallow. She could feel him hardened between her legs, though she didn't know how long he had been that way. Hermione's eyes darkened as she slowly ground her hips against his, her hands slid down his chest. She could feel a tremble run though his body before a growl forced it's was from his mouth.

His hips thrust up to meet hers. His back arched, straining against his invisible bindings. She ground her hips against his harder as she remembered his bindings, earning a loud groan from him once more.

Her hands slid down from his chest to his waist. He stopped struggling against his restraints and froze. His breathing hitched in his throat. Her hands moved slowly to his thighs, inching closer to the pulsing lump resting between them.

The train whistle blew, saying they were near. Hermione stood slowly and walked to the door. She pulled out her wand and flicked it at him quickly. By the time his restraints were lifted, Hermione had gone.


	10. Chapter 10

_The bindings disappeared and Draco sank down into the couch. He sat, dazed, thinking about what had just happened._

_Hermione Granger had kissed him. Really kissed him. And he kissed her back. No, more like attacked her. And she attacked back. She tied him up. The image of her climbing on top of him, straddling him, still burned in his mind. He groaned, head thrown back in suffering, as he remembered the feel of her grinding her hips against him._

_He sighed, pushing the images from his mind. Draco pushed himself from the couch. He had to find his trunk. His 'friends' would undoubtedly already have found it. They were likely to be in the compartment, awaiting his return._

_It took him five minutes to find his trunk and with it, his so called friends. He sighed and opened the door reluctantly, looking around at the four people inside. Blaise Zabini sat close to the window, Crabbe next to him. Goyle sat on the opposite seat, rubbing Pansy's feet. He had to be desperate to be doing that. Though Draco knew that the Slytherin could be quite menacing, if she need be. He looked at her, noting that her eyes were closed. Probably the only reason she had not yet jumped at him._

"_Hey Draco. Where have you been?" Blaise's accent had appeared t return over the summer._

_At hearing his name, Pansy's eyes shot open. Oh great, _he thought, _she's back. Pansy was on her feet in seconds, her arms thrown around his neck. She was planting messy, wet kisses on his cheek in an attempt to kiss his mouth._

"_Get off Parkinson!" With one great push, Draco shoved her back into her seat. "I told you Pansy, we are done!"_

_She looked up at him, batting her lashes wildly. "But Drakie, surely you don't still mean that. It's been over a month."_

_Draco rolled his eyes. "Of course I still mean it. We're done and it's staying that way."_

_Pansy huffed and sat back on her seat, propping her feet up on Goyle once more, who promptly started rubbing them again. Crabbe stared ahead blankly. Blaise, however, couldn't quite hide the grin on his face before Draco caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. A smile crept across his face as he turned to his friend._

_He pulled out his wand. Pointing it at his trunk, he muttered a spell and shrank it. He grabbed the trunk and stuffed it in his pocket before motioning for Blaise to follow him. Blaise had become the closest thing to a best friend he had. Not that Slytherins had real friends, the bunch of backstabbers. Crabbe and Goyle were just big oafs, handy to have around._

_When the others say Blaise stand, they moved to follow. Draco quickly waved them off. "Not you two. Just Blaise." He snapped and the boys sank back into their seats again._

_He stalked out of the compartment with Blaise following close behind him. He stopped suddenly and spun around to face him. "Get your trunk."_

"_Already got it Drake. Let's just go." Draco nodded and continues to walk. When they reached the Head compartment, he opened the door and walked to the couch. Blaise closed the door behind him and sank into a chair opposite him._

"_So Drake, what's bugging you?"_

_Draco let out a sigh and looked at his friend. "I've got a huge problem, man."_

_Blaise laughed. "A problem too big for the great Draco Malfoy? Do tell. What is it?"_

_Before Draco could answer, the door opened and Hermione walked in. "Oh, I see." Blaise muttered quietly._

_She heard his voice when she was halfway across the room. Looking up, her eyes scanned the compartment. She smiled when her eyes landed on Blaise. "Oh, hi there. I forgot to get my book." She made her way to the couch and reached down, picking her book up from where it lay._

"_See you soon Draco." she drawled in a whisper before she stood up. Then she turned to Blaise. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you again too." she winked. Giving him a smile, she turned and left the room._

_Once the door was closed, Blaise turned, wide-eyed, back to Draco, who seemed to have paled considerably. "Who the bloody hell was that?"_

"_That Blaise, was my problem." He sighed. "That was Granger."_


	11. Chapter 11

_Blaise stared at him. Granger? No way!_ "Did you say Granger? As in Hermione Granger, the know-it-all Gryffindor brainiac? _That_ Granger?"

"Yes Blaise, that Granger. And she's the Head Girl. McGonagoll and Snape says that Head Boy and Head Girl share living quarters." Draco's head fell to his hands.

"Wait, so you get to spend a year living with that?"

"Yeah. I have to spend a year with her." Draco sneered at Blaise's obvious pleasure.

"Hey, hey." he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "If you don't want to live with her, I'd be happy to take your place."

Draco's head snapped up. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her Zabini." Draco growled. 

"Now Malfoy," he smirked, "That's really not for you to say is it. I rather think it is up to her, if I put my hands on her." He looked at the platinum-haired boy and sighed. "Besides, Draco. It's only lust."

Just then, the train lurched to a stop, bringing the boys to their feet.

_This is going to be an interesting year._ Draco thought to himself as he exited the train. He and Blaise waited as Crabbe and Goyle found them, Pansy following close behind them. They made their way to the threshnal carriages and climbed inside an empty one.

The ride to Hogwarts was a boring one. Pansy stared at him the entire time. The looks she gave him were mostly pleading, willing him to look at her. Others were simply glares when he ignored her.

The Great Hall looked the same as it had every year as Draco made his way to the Slytherin table. The sat at the center of the table. Blaise sat to his right, while Crabbe and Goyle sat on either side of Pansy across the table.

As the last group of students entered the Great Hall, Dumbledore stood, calling for all to be silent. The doors opened again and McGonagoll led the new first years in. the sorting passed quickly enough, though most Slytherins paid it little attention at all.

Finally, Dumbledore stood again. Silence once again fell across the room. "Welcome, friends, to another year at Hogwarts. As usual, we hope our returning students will do their best to guide our first year." This comment earned snickers from the Slytherin table. "There have been a few changes this year that I should like to get out of the way. Firstly is that we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Please welcome your new teacher, Professor Alexander Beaumor."

Draco looked up to see the new D.A. teacher. He was young, maybe twenty two. Certainly not much older than that. His hair was brown and he was rather tall. He seemed to be lean, but muscled at the same time, much the was Draco himself was built. _Oh great,_ he thought to himself, _another Lockhart. Just what we need._ The man bowed and sat down again as Dumbledore continued on.

"Yes, yes. Welcome Professor, welcome. Now I would like to remind everyone that the forbidden forest is just that, forbidden, to all who do not wish to die a most painful death. Now to announce our new Head Boy and Girl. These two students have persevered and showed hard work and determination. The potential they show for their future is wonderful and inspiring. Now, this year's Head Boy is Draco Malfoy." Draco stood as clapping filled the room. Cheers erupting with resounding effect from the Slytherin table. He sat down after a moment.

"Yes, well done Mr. Malfoy. Now our Head Girl this year, Ms. Hermione Granger." Cheers and clapping exploded around the room as she stood. Heads turned to get a better look at the new Head Girl. Boys began to whistle and cheers grew louder yet. He could almost see her cheeks grow hot as she lowered herself to her seat.

"Settle down, settle down." Dumbledore called as he continued, "Now for our last change this year. In an attempt to unite the wizarding world, starting tomorrow, students will no longer be required to sit at house tables. Now, let the feast begin."

Blaise soon had him absorbed in a conversation about their schedules. When the feast ended, they got up from the table and made their way to the Entrance Hall.

This was it. "See you guys tomorrow." he said with a great sigh.

Blaise slapped his back. "Cheer up Drake. It's not like you're walking into your own death."

_Yeah, _Draco sighed again, _if only I could believe that._


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione was standing by the portrait when Draco appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Hello Malfoy." she smiled as he approached. "You remember the password? Right, on three then, shall we?" She counted to three and they spoke the word 'temptation' together. The lion roared and the snake hissed. The frame swung open to let them in.

"After you." Draco said with a dramatic bow. She smiled at his sarcastic display but said nothing, entering the room instead. A delighted gasp escaped her as she stepped into the room, looking around. This was much better that the Gryffindor common room. There were bookshelves. Already stocked with books, flanking a large fireplace. A crimson and gold couch was set before it with matching green and silver chairs to either side of it. A coffee table was placed strategically between them all. The carpet was a beautifully prestine white.

There were our doors in the room. A golden door to the right bore the crimson letters HG, while the silver door to the left was marked with a green DM. Those were obviously bedrooms. Curious about the other rooms, she began walking to the white door on her left. Opening it revealed a kitchen. She walked in the room and began to explore.

The cupboards were all stocked. Opening the fridge showed that it was stocked as well. There was a comfy breakfast nook in the corner. Hermione ran her fingers over the counter tops, feeling the smooth granite, cool to her touch. As she turned to walk about of the room, she nearly collided with Draco, who had followed her into the room.

His hands reached out, grabbing her shoulders to steady her. She looked up at him, startled. He was looking at her intently, his eyes darkening. His hands slid down to her waist and he moved towards her, backing her up against the counter.

She watched him, her eyes fixed on him, as he bent his head to hers. His mouth came slowly closer to hers. His eyes stayed on her face, watching her carefully for any change. When he seemed sure that she wasn't going to pull away, his lips took hers in a crushing kiss.

Her eyes closed as she lost herself in the kiss. Her arms slid up his chest to wrap around his neck. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him.

Hermione gasped at the feel of his body against her. When her lips parted, Draco's tongue slipped inside. Exploring her mouth. His tongue teased her, sliding along hers. Slowly, her tongue began to tease back. She grew more confident, pushing back, sliding her tongue into his mouth.

His hands began to move from her waist, up her sides. They moved to the soft, full curves of her breasts. His thumbs caressed the sides of her breasts, causing her to moan. She arched her hack, pressing her breasts closer to him.

Draco slid his hands under her robes, pushing them off her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. His arms moved over her shoulders. The path his hands traced set her skin on fire as they moved.

She pulled away when his hands began to push at the straps of her halter top. She put her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away.

"Draco, stop." her voice was husky but firm.

He looked at her for a long time. This his eyes grew cold and hard, as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water in his face. His lips pressed together in a terse line. Draco pulled away from her and turned, leaving her standing alone in the room.

_What was his problem?_ Hermione knelt down, picking up her school robe. Leaving the kitchen, she noticed Draco laying on the couch. He appeared to be asleep. Hermione walked over to him, hearing his even breathing. She draped her robe over him, as if it were a blanket. A smile curved her lips and she turned, heading to the other white door.

Draco listened, his eyes firmly closed, as her footsteps moved away from him. After she pushed him away, telling him to stop, he was pissed. _And he had every bloody right to be! He hadn't wanted to stop. He couldn't make himself stop, not until she made him._

_He was still pissed, now at himself though. He hadn't known if she was going to hit him at first. He had hesitated, waiting for her to swing at him. But she didn't hit him. She let him kiss her. And he still wasn't sure why he had done it, but he did._

_And he didn't want to stop. He could remember the feel of her as his hands ran over her body. The moan she let out when his fingers caressed her breasts. The sound made him ache with the desire to touch her, to take her and make her his. Hell, his body still wanted her. He wanted to go to her, make her want him, beg him to take her. And he would._


	13. Chapter 13

Hermione stood in the large bathroom, marveling in it. Silver and Gold. Everywhere. There was a huge, in-ground bathtub. It could easily fit four people, with room to move around. It was shining silver with gold fixtures throughout it.

There was also a large shower. It too was silver with gold fixtures. An it too looked big enough for four people. There was a silver and gold toilet. Two sinks, each with their own mirror along one wall. The sinks were silver with gold trimming and faucets. They were set in gold topped counters as well.

The whole bathroom was beautiful. It was nicer than even the prefect bathroom. Flashy yet sophisticated as well. It was perfect. She looked at the large bath longingly.

With her mind made up, she left the room. She looked at the couch to see Draco still asleep. Then she looked across the room to the door with her initials. She walked over to it and pushed it opened, scanning the room for her trunk.

It was there, at the foot of her bed. Walking over to it, she knelt and opened it. Hermione searched through her clothes until she found what she needed. She pulled out her nightgown and toiletry bag.. It took only ten minutes to find everything. Then she was closing her bedroom door and walking back to the bathroom. Draco, she noticed, was still on the couch.

Draco lay there, silent and unmoving, until he heard the water in, what he now assumed was, the bathroom. He sat up then, listening to the water run. It sounded too loud to be a shower. She must be taking a bath, he decided.

An image of Hermione, relaxing naked in the bathtub, flashed in his mind. Heat coursed through him, settling throbbing in his groin. He groaned. Draco forced the image out of his mind and stood. He walked to one of the bookshelves and took down a book.

Going back to the couch, Draco sat, book in hand. He kicked off his shoes in disgust, setting them beside the couch. Pulling his legs up on the couch, he settled in with the book. He opened the book, not bothering to even read the title, and tried to focus.

It didn't last long. Images of Hermione soon filled his mind again. He didn't know how long he sat there, staring at the pages. He hadn't read a single word. Nor did he heard the bathroom door open, or the footsteps coming closer. What woke him from his trance was her voice, directly in front of him. He kept staring at the book.

"What are you reading?" Hermione asked, sounding genuinely curious.

He wasn't sure. Turning the book over, he read the title. _Riptide. He looked up to repeat the name to her, instantly realizing his mistake. He should not have looked up._

_His mouth went dry. She was standing in front of him, wearing a green silk nightgown, if it could be called that. It was short, shorter than her skirt had been, the front was a deep v-neck design. The straps were thin spaghetti straps. The material looked shiny and very thin, like silk. She could see the shape of her body clearly where the fabric clung to her._

_He felt himself stiffen. The book fell from his hand, landing with a soft thud on the carpet._

"_Draco?" her voice barely registered to him. _

_He was on his feet in an instant. He grabbed her waist, pulling her hard against him. He didn't hesitate this time. His lips were in hers, hard and demanding. His tongue traced her mouth, demanding entrance. And she opened for him, whether from pleasure or fear, he didn't know. Nor did he really care._

_He turned with her still against him. Pushing her back, Draco eased her down to the couch, lowering himself with her. He was on op of her, between her legs. His hard shaft pressing against her as he kissed her. He kissed her hard before he pulled away from her mouth, moving to her throat, kissing and biting her. _

_Her hands were in his hair, pulling it softly. Her body arched, pressing against him, giving him more access to her neck. His teeth grazed her neck as he nipped at her again. She was intoxicating, like a drug he couldn't seem to get enough of. Heat flowed through him, sending his body into a blaze of fire._

_His hands moved over her body. He could almost feel her skin under the nightgown. His hands went to her breasts, cupping them, massaging them. Their hard peaks pressed against his palms. His mouth moved lower, kissing down her neck, the exposed skin, until he settled over her breast. The thin nightgown separating him from bare skin, hardly seemed to be there._

_She bucked at the contact. A soft whimper escaped her at the pleasure of if. His hands gripped her sides, holding her against him. Draco's teeth grazed her breast again, capturing the taut nipple between them. His tongue traced the hard bud though the thin silk._

_Her fingers tightened in his hair. She pulled him closer, wanting to feel more. His hands slid down her sides, over her hips, to the edge of her nightgown. Her legs were smooth and velvety soft as his fingers caressed them. His hands moved halfway down her legs before he slowly started to move them back up. _

_Draco's hands moved slowly up her legs. His mouth unlatched from her breast, tracing it's path back up her throat. He captured her mouth with his again. His hands slid under the silk, trailing fire over her skin._

_Her breath hitched in her throat and she froze. Draco's hands stopped at her thin lace panties. He pulled away a second later._

_By the time Hermione sat up, he was gone. She heard his bedroom door close as she sat in the deafeningly silent room._


	14. Chapter 14

Draco was lying on his bed. _Oh Gods, _he thought, _how could I have lost control like that? I'm a Malfoy and Malfoys don't lose control._

_He could still taste the minty flavor of kissing her. He could feel the silk of her green nightgown. The smooth, velvet softness of her legs. The image of her arching against him when he took her breast in his mouth came back to him._

_She turned him from the cool, level-headed Draco Malfoy to some horny, uncontrollable teenager. And that, he knew, could be dangerous. But he didn't understand why she could do his to him. He was a Malfoy. He was the Slytherin sex god, damn it._

_And he was still hard. His need for her was burning him up. Closing his eyes, he tried to push his need for her away. But images of them on the couch came back full force and he groaned._

_He wasn't going to get any sleep if he was still drooling over her. Draco sighed. Closing his eyes, he welcomed the thoughts and gave in to the tempting images._

_Draco laid back on his bed, his breath shallow and harsh. He closed his eyes again, exhaust finally getting the better of him and he drifted off into a hazy sleep._

_It was just past six when Draco woke up. A groan escaped him when he felt the wet blanket against him. His dreams last night had been so vivid, so real. But it still surprised him that he had cum in his sleep. That hadn't happened to him since he was young and inexperienced._

_Draco lay there, remembering his dream. He had explores all of her. He kissed, licked, tasted every part of her body. She had smelled good too, like flowers. She tasted like strawberries._

_She had tasted him as well. Explored his body, kissing him all over. His breathing became rough as he remembered what happened next. Hermione had gone down on him, taking him in her mouth, teasing him._

_When he couldn't wait any longer, he had pulled her up. He rolled them over, pinning her to the bed. His wand was in his hand then, binding her hands above her head. And he returned the favor to her. _

_When his mouth touched her inner thighs, she bucked. His hands grabbed her, holding her in place. He continued to explore her most private parts. Kisses were trailed over her. When his tongue slid inside her, she gasped, he back arching. She moaned as he continued his slow torture. As she started to climax, he removed the spell. Draco positioned himself at her core and pushed into her as her orgasm continued. The feeling of him inside her heightened her orgasm making her scream. Her nails dug into his back. "More…" she pleaded in his ear, her voice laced with need._

_He moved in her as her climax ended. She felt good. He knew he wouldn't last long as soon as he started moving. He moved slowly, trying to put off his own pleasure._

_But Hermione had seemed to have other plans. She rolled them over, taking him by surprise. He was still inside her as she sat up, straddling him. He began to move, pumping up and down faster and faster. He couldn't take much more, he knew. If she kept this up, he would be done. His hands grabbed her waist, stilling her. But before he could speak, she picked up his wand and his hands were bound above his head. She moved again and he knew he was done. His control left him. His hips were thrusting to meet her, pushing deep into her. He stiffened as his release hit him._

_Hermione kept moving, slower now, as her own climax peaked again. He could feel her muscles squeezing him. Finally, the last waves of pleasure dies away. Hermione collapsed on his chest, sighing contently._

_That was when the dream ended. Draco groaned again in agitation. Throwing the blanket off of him, he resigned himself to getting up. There was no way he would be able to get to sleep now._


	15. Chapter 15

_Wow._ Hermione thought as she walked down the hall on her way to Potions. Every person she had passed so far had stared at her. Today she had decided to wear pink. Hot pink, actually.

Her shirt was a low-cut, tight, long sleeve shirt. The skirt, which came a few inches above her knees, was a darker hot pink and black plaid design. Hot pink fishnet stocking and two inch black pumps completed her outfit.

Her hair was pulled in two ponytails, secured with pink scrunchies. Her lip gloss, a dark pink, tasted and smelled like strawberry banana. Her black eyeliner was softened by hot pink eye shadow.

She knew she looked good today but it seemed that every guy who saw her stopped and stared. How long was this going to last? She wondered. Smiling to herself, she walked into the potions room.

Looking around the room, Hermione saw Ron and Harry seated together at a desk. So much for sitting with one of them. Not that she really wanted to this year. There were still some empty desks. She chose one at the front of the room. As she unpacked her potions supplies, someone took the seat next to her.

Glancing to her left, Hermione watched as Blaise Zabini took the seat beside her. He was staring at her, watching her every move. So he wanted to play too, did he? Okay then, she would play. She smiled, turning to face him. "Hi. Blaise, right?" she asked, her voice a low, sexy drawl.

Great, Draco thought. Making his way to potions. He'd be lucky to find a decent seat. Why did he decide to wait for Crabbe and Goyle? Well, hopefully he could count on Blaise to save him a seat. At least he was smart enough to leave early.

The room was nearly full now. The only students not here seemed to be from his own house. Draco scanned the room. It didn't take long for him to find Blaise. Or to see that he wasn't alone. She should have known that Blaise would be next to a girl. Oh well, so much for that.

Crabbe and Goyle were seated together. As he stood there, the other Slytherins had arrived and now there were only two seats left. Pansy saw him, waving him over to the seat next to her. A chill ran through him and he almost ran to the empty chair next to Neville Longbottom.

He smirked at the look on Neville's face. He was almost terrified. "Relax Longbottom. It was either you or Pansy and I don't facy sitting next to her all year."

Neville sat quietly for a moment. Then Draco heard a low mumble, barely catching his mumbled reply, "I'd rather sit next to Snape than her." Draco turned to look at him. He looked down quickly, his face turning red. Just then, Draco started laughing, a quiet laugh that could only be heard by the people around him.

"You aren't so bad, Longbottom." _Had he really just said that? _What the hell was happening to him?

"You aren't so bad either Malfoy. At least, not as bad as Pansy."

Draco's laugh brought her out of her conversation with Blaise. She glanced around the room. It didn't take her long to find him. Though she was shocked to see him sitting beside Neville. At that moment, he looked over at her. Their eyes met and his narrowed. He looked from her to Blaise and back again. She smiled and turned away.

Just then, the door opened and Professor Snape entered. The class fell silent.

"You're all Seventh years. You know the rules. If you do not, then leave. We aren't here to waste time. Your assignment is on the board." He turned and faced his class. "Get started."

He moved to his desk and sat down. His eye scanned the room, coming to rest on the girl sitting next to Blaise Zabini. So Granger was going for a new look was she? Well, it was better than the bushy haired girl he had had to see for the last six years.

He watched as she finished copying the assignment. She turned to Zabini, spoke quickly and got up to get the ingredients. As she walked, her robes fell pen. He felt a strange surge of lust shoot though him. Her skirt was short, very short.

She gathered the ingredients. Looking at the shelves, she frowned. It took a moment for him to realize that the last thing she needed was on a shelf too high for her to reach. Just as he was about t get up to her, she smiled. Turning, she carried her supplies back to her table.

When Hermione got back to her desk, she set her ingredients down. Turning to Blaise, she leaned over, her hands on the desk in front of him. "Blaise," she began sweetly. "could you help me get something from the shelves? It's a bit too high for me."

Blaise looked at her, his eyes traveling down to the revealing sweater she wore. He forced his eyes up to hers again. Her lips were in a pout but he could see the smile in her eyes. He nodded and stood, following her to the cabinet.

"So which one do we need?" His voice was a low drawl. She reached up and pointed to a small jar. He took the jar from the shelf and placed it in her waiting hand. His fingers brushed her soft hands as he drew his hand back. Her skin was warm and smooth and he smiled.

She smiled back at him, then winked and turned back to her seat, leaving him to follow.

By the end of class, Draco was in a near rage. _What the bloody hell was she doing? He glared over at Hermione and Blaise. They were sitting so close that they were almost touching. They leaned closer to talk while they worked. He could see her laughing at something Blaise had said._

_When class ended, Draco and Neville put their potion in storage vials and turned them in. she shoved his things back into his bag and left without looking back. He stopped at he end of the hall, waiting. _

_A few minutes later, Hermione came down around the corner, Blaise right behind her. He waited until she has passed him before he grabbed Blaise and pulled him into an empty room._

_He closed the door and turned on his friend. "What the fuck are you doing?" he growled._


	16. Chapter 16

Blaise stood facing him, shock at being pulled into a room clear on his face. As it registered what was going on, he began to laugh.

Draco pulled out his wand, pointing it at him. "Be quiet Zabini! Or I'll hex you so bad, you'll be in the hospital wing until Christmas."

Blaise stopped laughing, looking at him and raised his hands in surrender. "Chill out Drake. And get that wand of yours away from my throat."

He slowly lowered his wand. "What were you doing with her?" Anger twisted his words into a growl. "Why were you with her in class?"

"Calm down Drake." He let out a long sigh. "Now, who is 'her'?"

Draco's wand was raised again as he stepped closer, pressing his wand to Blaise's chest. "Damn it, Blaise," he snarled, "You know exactly who I'm talking about! What were you going with Granger?"

Blaise raised his hands to Draco's chest and gently pushed him away. "Drake, buddy, I'm not telling you again. Stop pointing that bloody wand of yours at me."

Draco once again lowered his wand. "Tell me what you were doing with her."

He sighed. "I didn't do anything, Drake. I wanted to sit in the front of the class and that happened to be the only seat open. It was a coincidence that she was the one I happened to sit beside."

That seemed to calm him down a bit. "Then why were you two sitting so close? Why was she laughing half the time?"

"Geeze, dude, you're really annoying me. You're acting like a jealous boyfriend. We were sitting close because we were talking. She's actually not a bad person to talk to. And she was laughing because, believe it or not, I happen to be a funny guy."

Draco stared at his friend. His eyes narrowing. "That's all that happened?"

"Of course that's all." Blaise smirked. "You pulled me away right before I could ask her out."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Blaise felt the wand pressed to his chest again. But he was ready this time. His wand was in his hand and he raised it to Draco's chest. Muttering a spell, he sent Draco flying across the small room. His lip was split, blood dripping from it as he got up, wand raised. "Expelliarmus" Blaise muttered and sent Draco's wand flying out of his hand.

"I warned you Malfoy. You got what you deserved." With that, Blaise turned and walked out of the room.

Draco struggled to his feet and made his way to his wand. His chest ached from Blaise's spell. He made his way to the door, holding his chest as he moved.


	17. Chapter 17

Hermione, transfiguration books in hand, closed her bedroom door. She turned just as the portrait door opened, Draco came in, one arm wrapped around his chest, while his other hand was braced against the wall for support. He looked ready to pass out. She rushed over to him, ready to catch him.

"What happened to you, Malfoy? Are you alright?" Her voice was soft and full of concern.

"Do I look like I'm alright to you?" He snapped, then immediately winced in pain. "I just need to sit down."

Halfway to the couch, Draco's leg gave out under him. She barely had enough time to reach him. Slowly, she helped him to the couch. "You need t lay down, Draco." she instructed, gently pushing him back on the couch. "Now," she demanded, "what happened to you?"

Draco drew in a deep breath, causing him to wince again in pain. "Why don't you ask Blaise?" he hissed through gritted teeth. "He'll be happy to tell you, I'm sure."

He could see the shock visible on her face. He could hear it even clearer in her voice when she spoke. "Blaise did this to you?"

He nodded, closing his eyes. She looked at him as he lay, eyes closed, on the couch. "Don't worry about class, okay? I'll explain to Professor McGonagoll and get what you need from class. We only have Transfigurations left, so I'll be back soon." She leaned down and gently touched her lips to his.

When Draco felt her lips touch his, he reached up, unthinkingly, to pull her to him. Pain shot threw him, but he ignored it, trying to pulled her down. Hermione, seeing him wince, gently pushed him down, pulling away from him. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I shouldn't have done that. You should be resting."

Before he could protest, Hermione rushed away to get her books. He listened as the door opened and closed quickly.

Hermione sat at a desk in the front of the Transfiguration classroom. Since she was one of the first to arrive, the seat next to her was empty. When the chair moved, she was more than a little e surprised to see Blaise sitting down. He had some nerve. She turned on him, her eyes blazing with anger. "Why did you attack Draco?" she demanded.

He looked into her eyes, his smile never fading. "He deserved it. He threatened to attack me. Three times. Pointed his wand right at my chest." he explained, holding his hand over his chest. "I warned him not to do it. After three times though," Blaise shrugged, "well, I decided to do something about it."

Hermione stared at him in disbelief. Draco hadn't mentioned that part. "He… he tried to attack you? Why?"

His smile broadened. "Because I told him that I was going to ask you out."

"Oh." Was all she could manage. Draco tried to attack Blaise because he was going to ask her out? Why? Was he jealous?

"So then, Granger. What do you say? Would you like to go out this weekend?"

"Huh? Oh right. I… I don't know Blaise. I need to think about it first." she stammered.

Blaise nodded and gave her a half smile. "Sure. I understand. Think about it and let me."

Professor McGonagoll came in and Hermione quickly stood, walking to her desk. "Err, Professor. Draco couldn't come to class. He wasn't feeling well. Honestly, professor, he looked ready to faint."

"Oh dear. It's not very wise to miss the first day of class."

"Oh yes, professor. I understand. He wanted to come, but I thought it better for him t get rest. He really seemed to need it. If he's not better when class is over, I promise to take him to the hospital wing. But I will make sure that Draco gets a copy of all my notes. And I'll be sure to go over the lesson with him as well. I just wanted to be sure that you knew why he wasn't here."

McGonagoll nodded. "Very well, Ms. Granger. Thank you. That is very considerate of you."

Hermione nodded and returned to her seat. The lesson passed quickly enough.

After class was dismissed, she was stopped outside the door by Ron and Harry. She smiled at her two best friends.

"It's about time we get to see you 'Mione. Ron and I started to worry when we didn't see you in the dorm last night. We waited up till midnight but we got tired eventually. We decided it was best to just go to bed. Where were you anyways?" Harry asked.

"Well, actually, I don't live in the Gryffindor dorms this year. Head Girl and Head Boy get their own dorm. So now, I live with Draco."

Ron's ears turned bright red with rage. "What?" He nearly shouted. "You live with Malfoy? How can the do that to you? It's not right! It's… It's torture, is what it is!"

"Calm down Ronald. Draco isn't being rude or obnoxious about it. Why should I be? As a matter of fact, he's quite entertaining." She quickened her step as the was walked toward the Great Hall.

They ate lunch together, avoiding Hermione's living arrangements. She forced herself not to eat too quickly. When she finished he light meal, she picked up her bag and stood. "I've got to be going now. I'll see you guys later."


	18. Chapter 18

Draco was struggling back to the couch when the portrait door opened. Hermione came in with her bag over her shoulder. When she saw him, her bag fell to the floor and she moved to help him.

When they finally got back to the couch, Draco sat down. His head fell back with a sigh. "You're a lifesaver, Granger."

She walked back to the door to pick up her bag where it had fallen. Coming back to the couch, she sat beside him. Pulling out her book, two rolls of parchment and her wand, she told him, "I copied the notes on a roll of parchment for you. Here." She handed him one of the two rolls. He took it from her, looking at her intently.

"Have you eaten lunch yet, Draco?" she asked suddenly.

He stared at her for a moment, not quite hearing her. "What?" he asked, blinking.

"I asked if you had eaten lunch yet."

"Oh. No, I haven't. I went to sleep."

She put down her book and stood up. "I'll be back. Start reading the notes. you can use my book." she instructed him, indicating her book on the couch. She turned and disappeared inside the kitchen.

He sighed and unrolled the parchment she handed him. her handwriting was very neat and small. It fit her personality very well. _Why are you thinking about her personality? You're a Malfoy. You aren't supposed to care about some Mudblood's personality. _Draco shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and began to read the notes.

He had nearly finished the notes when the scroll flew, suddenly, from his hands. He watched as it soared threw the air and into Hermione's waiting hand. Her book and scroll quickly followed. "Come into the kitchen."

He watched as she turned back to the kitchen. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet. The pain from moving was killing him. He'd kill Blaise if he ever got the chance. When he managed to make it to the kitchen, Hermione was placing cups on the table.

"Come sit down. You need to eat something." He walked over to the nook and sat down. she pushed the plate towards him and he couldn't help but look down as he smelled the food. He hoped that the food tasted as good as it smelled. There were potatoes, corn and pork chops in front of him.

"Star eating" she ordered. "I'll be right back." Before he could speak, she was gone. Picking up his fork, he began eating. In seconds, Draco realized how hungry he had been. He had nearly finished by the time she returned a few minutes later.

She looked as him, then the plate and stopped in her tracks. She blinked, then smiled. "Glad you like it."

He watched as she sat down. "Where did you disappear to?" he asked, his voice even. He grinned when she raised two bottles of butterbeer. "Really?" he said, one eyebrow raised.

"Sure," she said, twisting off the caps, "why not?" She filled their cups and put the bottles away. She sat quietly, sipping her butterbeer, as she waited for him to finish his food. When he did, she waved her wand and sent the dishes to the sink where they began washing themselves.

She turned back to him and smiled. "My mum got a kick out of that." she flicked her wand towards the fridge and two bowls come out, floating to the table. "We can eat dessert while we go over the notes." she told him, removing the lids from the bowls to reveal strawberries in one and whipped cream in the other.

She smiled and picked up a strawberry. Dipping it in the bowl of whipped cream, she brought it to her lips. She licked the whipped cream absently as she opened her book. Draco watched her every move, slow and seductive. And she didn't even realize it. He stared at her lips as she bit into the red berry. The juice stained her lips and he watched as a drop rolled off her lips. Her tongue snaked out and caught the drop.

Before he could think of what he was doing, Draco moved to the corner of the seat and pulled her to him. He tasted the strawberry on her mouth when his lips touched hers. She was frozen for a moment. But when his tongue ran over her bottom lip, she responded, her lips parting. He didn't hesitate, slipping his tongue into her mouth. He tried to turn to face her but the quick movement brought a sharp pain to him and he moaned with the agony of it.

He had hoped that Hermione wouldn't realize that it was pain which had made him moan. But of course, she knew. She pulled back, her hands on his chest. He tried to stop her but it did no good in his injured state. "Draco," she said, pushing him back. "Draco, stop it. You're hurt."

Reluctantly, he gave up. He groaned and his head fell back. His eyes closed only to open again when she spoke. "I spoke to Blaise. He told me why he attacked you the way he did." She paused and waited for him to look at her. When he did, she continued. "You were going to attack him. Because he told you that he was going to ask me out." She was smiling now.

"What's your point, Granger? You're a Gryffindor and Blaise is a Slytherin. Our houses don't date. He knows that." Draco had to look away as he spoke.

Hermione stared at him, amazed. _Is that why it mattered? Because I'm a _Gryffindor? _Fine, if that's why he attacked Blaise, then that was his problem._ She stood, picking up her book and scroll. As she was turning to leave, he grabbed her arm. "Where are you going? I thought you were going to go over the lesson with me?"

She pulled her arm away from him. "Do it yourself, Malfoy. I'm sure a great Slytherin like yourself doesn't need the help of a Gryffindor."

"Hermione wait! Where are you going?" he asked, trying to keep the pain from moving out of his voice.

She spun around to glare at him. "I'm going to find Blaise! He asked me to go out this weekend. I was going to tell him no, but I think I've changed my mind. At least _he doesn't care that I happen to be a Gryffindor!"_

_Draco slumped back and watched as se stormed out of the room. Blaise asked her out? And now she was going to tell him yes, all because of him and his big mouth. Oh gods, what did he just do?_


	19. Chapter 19

Hermione stormed out of the common room. She was walking down the stairs to the Entrance Hall when she saw Blaise coming out of the dungeons. She smiled as she made her way to the bottom of the steps. He looked up just as she reached the last step. His step quickened to meet her.

"Hey Blaise." Her voice was light and flirty. "I was just coming to look for you."

He grinned. "I hope that's good news for me then."

"Might be." Hermione winked and started to walk. "Come outside with me. It's such a nice day."

He followed, his pacing picking up to walk beside her. They walked in silence to the black lake. A large rock sat near the water and they made their way to it. Blaise jumped up on the rock and turned to offer her his hand.

Hermione smiled and took his hand, allowing him to pull her up. They sat on the rock. Hermione stared up at the blue sky. Blaise stares at Hermione. "So," he began, "does this mean that you've thought about this weekend?"

She sat quietly for a moment, watching the clouds in the sky. He began to wonder if she had heard him when she finally nodded. "I have. And I've got an answer as well." she told him, turning to face him. "I'd love to go out this weekend."

Blaise's face broke out into a large grin. "That's great. What about Friday? We can go into Hogsmeade on the weekends."

She smiled and nodded. "Friday sounds perfect. My last clas ends at five. Could I meet you at seven?"

"Seven it is." he said, smiling. But Hermione had already turned back to the sky, her smile gone. "Hey now, what's wrong? You seem kind of upset."

She sighed. "I talked to Draco. I told him that I had talked to you about attacking him." She paused and looked at him. "He said that he was threatening you because Slytherins don't date Gryffindors."

_Wow, Drake. You really did it this time._ He moved closer to her, putting his arm around her. "Well, that's Drake's opinion, not mine. I don't see a problem with it. Especially when the Gryffindor looks like you."

Hermione forced a smile. "Thanks. At least someone likes the new me."

_How could she think that nobody liked her? Didn't she notice all the guys staring at her? _"Are you kidding me Hermione? That's just insane. I don't think that's it. I think it's just the shock of seeing this new side to you. Give it time and the guys will be throwing themselves at your feet by the end of the week." He smiled then. "Just don't break out date for one of them."

She laughed at that. "Okay Blaise. I won't break out date if the boys start throwing themselves at me." She stood up and dusted off her skirt. Blaise jumped down and offered her his hand to help her down, which she took gratefully.

She jumped down, carefully landing on her toes instead of her heels. Blaise was only inches away from her, looking down at her. His green eyes darkened the way Draco's seemed to. She moved to take a step back. The movement caught his attention and he frowned. "Relax. I'm not going to attack you."

She seemed to hesitate a moment longer before deciding to believe him. Then she smiled. "Okay. Well, I need to get back to my room. I promised Harry and Ron that I would see them later and I forgot my books when I left."

"Alright. Well, I'll walk you back to the castle."

Hermione walked through the portrait and into the common room. She went to her door and opened it. Her books were on her desk. She packed them into her bag, touched up her lip gloss, and left the room. She closed the door and turned, only to come face to face with Draco.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Her voice was cold and clipped.

"Look Hermione. I'm sorry. Now will you stop calling me Malfoy?"

"No. now what do you want?"

"Come on Hermione. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that earlier. It wasn't true. Jut don't tell Blaise that you'll go out with him." Hermione was taken aback. It almost sounded as if Draco Malfoy was pleading with her.

She smiled. "It's too late for that. I was just with Blaise. And I already told him that I'd go out with him this weekend."

He turned pure white. "You what? Why would you do that? All he's trying to do is get you into his bed!"

Her hand slapped across his face before he had time to react. "How dare you!"

_Damn it!_ he thought. In the next instant, he pushed her up against the door behind her. His hands cupped her face, holding her still. He crushed her mouth with his. She raised her hands to his chest to push him away. But his own hands left her face to capture his wrists. Even injured, his anger at being hit gave him more than enough strength to hold her down. He pulled them to her sides and held them there. His lips never left hers. Slowly, she surrendered, giving into him. He let go of her wrists and his hands went to her waist.

"Damn it, Granger. Why do you have to be so stubborn?" He spoke the words as his lips left hers to trail a path down her throat. "Damn it. What is it about you that makes me act like this?" Then he stopped thinking, stopped speaking. He kissed her neck, nipping at it. His hands pulled her closer, his hips grinding against hers. He could feel her fingers in his hair, her head tossed back.

His hands moved down. He didn't think, didn't hesitate. Draco pushed up her skirt, his fingers pushing aside her underwear and he touched her. She moaned at his touch. His fingers slipped inside her and she screamed into his mouth, her back arching toward him. His fingers moved faster and he felt her muscles tightening. Her scream was muffled by his mouth. His movement slowed as her orgasm died away.

_Oh no, _he thought as his senses returned to him, _what the hell did I just do? Oh gods, she's going to kill me. Gently, he removed his finger from her. She collapsed against him and his arms went around her. He winced as the pain shot through him while he struggled to hold her up._

_He leaned his head on hers, kissing her hair. His hands rubbed her back absently. "God, Hermione. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."_

_He continued to mutter, apologizing over and over until she began to recover her strength. Once she was standing again without his help, he said one last sorry and nearly ran to his room._


	20. Chapter 20

"Hermione." Ron's voice broke through her thoughts.

She shook her head to her thoughts away. She looked at her friends sitting around her. She had found Harry and Ron in the common room. Ginny had joined them ten minutes later, sitting on Harry's lap while the others went over the first day of lessons. "Huh?"

"Are you alright Hermione?" It was Harry who spoke. "This is the fifth time you've spaced out on us."

"Yes Harry, I'm fine." _Oh how she wished that were true. Her mind kept drifting back to how Draco had made her feel. He had touched her and she felt like she was on fire. She hadn't known she could feel like that._

"_If you say so Hermione." Harry said, eying her. "Then how about you tell us what's going on? Why are you sharing a room with Malfoy? And why are you hanging around with Zabini?"_

_She shrugged. "McGonagoll and Snape said that the Head Boy and Head Girl share their own set of rooms. It's just how it is. And as for Blaise, well, that wasn't really my choice. He sat next to me in Potions and Transfigurations. I didn't ask him to do it."_

"_And what about the lake earlier? Why were you two out there?" Ron asked, clearly jealous._

_She whipped around to look at him. "Were you spying on me Ronald?" she accused._

_He paled. "No. I was coming to find you."_

_Hermione scoffed at him. "Oh please. Why would you be looking for me when I told you and Harry that I would see you later?"_

"_I don't want to talk about it." he said, his eyes darting to Harry and Ginny, who suddenly stood._

"_We'll be back later guys. We need to get in some flying practice down at the pitch." Harry quickly supplied before leaving._

_She turned back to Ron. "Well? They are gone now. So out with it Ronald. Why were you looking for me?"_

"_All right, fine. I wanted to ask you if you would want to go out on Friday."_

_She stared at him. "I'm sorry, Ron. I already have plans for Friday."_

"_Come on Hermione. I know that we broke up before and that it was all my fault. But I've changed, I swear. I'll be better. Can't you put off the studying till Saturday?"_

_Hermione glared at him. "Believe it or not, Ronald, some guys actually like me! I'm not studying on Friday. I have a date!"_

"_A date? With who?"_

_Hermione stood and gathered her books. She shot Ron a look of disgust. _

"_With who, Hermione?"_

"_With Blaise, Ron!" She turned and, grabbing her bag, ran from the room._

_Ron watched her leave in frozen horror._

_Hermione was in the library, her books opened on the table. She had a two foot essay on animal transfiguration due Thursday. She'd decided to skip dinner in the Great Hall and get it done early. She could just get something later from the Head room kitchen. It was better than facing her friends right now. Or Draco._

_The Great Hall was full of noise. Draco walked to the Slytherin table and sat down. Coming here was a horrible idea. The pain from the walk down here was nearly unbearable. He piled food onto his plate and started picking at it. He looked up to see Blaise sit down across from him._

"_Hey Drake." Blaise Zabini said, grinning. "How's the ribs?"_

"_Shove off Zabini!"_

"_What are you really mad about Draco? That I asked out a Gryffindor? Or that I asked out the one you want?"_

_Draco stood, hands on the table, to look directly into Blaise's face. "She will never sleep with you, Zabini!"_

_He smirked, "We'll see, Draco. We'll see."_

_Fire and rage lit Draco's gray eyes, hardening them to steel. He straightened and glared at his friend. Then he turned on his heels and left the Great Hall, heads turning to follow him out._


	21. Chapter 21

Ron watched Malfoy leave the Great Hall. Without a word, he got up and went after him. Something was going on with Hermione and he was more than willing to believe that Malfoy has something to do with it. He probably put a hex on her. Why else would Hermione be going out with a Slytherin.

His hand was on his wand when he left the Great Hall. "Hold it Malfoy."

Draco turned, looking at Ron. He didn't even bother to sneer or glare at him. When he spoke, his voice held no distaste. "What do you want Weasley?"

"What did you do to Hermione?" His voice was laced with hate and contempt.

He sighed, impatiently. "What are you talking about?"

Ron took a few steps towards him. "What did you do? Something isn't right. Why is she going out with Zabini? Did you hex her?"

Draco was in his face in an instant. "You listen to me, Weasley. I did not hex her! I didn't do a damn thing to her! Granger is going out with Zabini because she wants to, not because I hexed her." He was breathing hard when he finished. He mumbled something under his breath.

Ron caught the words "my fault" and his wand was out in an instant. "What was that bit you mumbled, Malfoy? I think you'd better start explaining."

Draco's head snapped up again. He stared at him for a moment before deciding that a fight in his condition was not the best idea. "Fine. Come with me Weasley. I'll tell you what happened and you can be on your way." He turned and walked to the stairs. The made their way to the portrait on the fourth floor.

Draco gave the password and the portrait swung open. He let Ron go ahead of him then stepped through behind him.

"What is this?" Ron asked, looking around.

He walked to the couch and sank onto it with a sigh of relief. "These are the rooms I shave with Granger."

He could see the shock on his face even as he spoke. "This is where you guys live? Here? Together?"

"Yes, Weasley. Now did you come to stare or are you going to sit down and let me talk?" Ron walked to a chair and sat down. "Good." he continued, "Now here's the deal. Blaise saw Hermione and started talking about getting her into his bed. I warned him. When I saw them together in Potions, I knew Blaise wasn't going to listen. So after class, I waited for him and pulled him into a classroom. I pulled my wand on him. I demanded to know what was going on. He wanted to be a smartass so I threatened him again. He made me back off and told me that they were just talking." Draco paused, looking Ron directly in the eye. "Then he said that I pulled him away before he could ask her out. I snapped and pressed my wand to his chest. Unfortunately, he was ready for me. He pulled out his own wand and attacked me. Before I could recover, he was gone. I came up here just as Hermione was preparing to leave. She saw me and demanded to know what happened. I told her to ask Blaise. She did, and I guess Zabini told her about me threatening him first. Then she told me that he asked her out and that she wasn't going to say yes but had changed her mind. She ran out to find him. When she came back, she said that she had a date with him on Friday. I got pissed. She yelled, I yelled. Then I went to my room and she left." Draco finished his story. Shrugging, he added, "That's all I've got for you Weasley."

Ron stared at him for a long time, digesting what he had been told. There was something wrong here. Something Malfoy wasn't telling him. "Why were you threatening Zabini, Malfoy? He's a Slytherin."

"Yes, Weasley. Zabini is a Slytherin. And Granger is a Gryffindor. Our houses don't mix."

That was it! It had to be! "I'll bet you said that to Hermione too, didn't you?" Ron could see the answer before he spoke.

"Yeah, I told her. So what?"

"You idiot, Malfoy! This is all your fault!" He was on his feet now.

Draco jumped to his feet as well, coming face to face with him. "How is this all my fault?"

"You told her that you didn't want her t go out with that idiot, Zabini, because she's not a Slytherin! Now she's gone and done it, all because you had to try to tell her she couldn't do it!" Ron turned and stalked to the door. He pushed it open and left.

Draco fell back to the couch. His head fell into his hands. _Oh gods, Weasley was right. It _was_ all his fault._


	22. Chapter 22

The next two days of classes passed in a blur. Hermione avoided Draco whenever she could. And when she couldn't, she did her best to ignore him. Ron was still mad at her. And now it was Friday. She had just finished her private lesson with Professor McGonagoll. She had agreed to meet Blaise in the Entrance Hall. That meant she had one hour to get ready.

When she walked through the door, Hermione was overwhelmed by a sweet aroma. She looked around, trying to spot the source, before making her way to her room. She stopped abruptly, seeing a package on her bed. There was a rectangular box sitting in the middle of her bed. On top of the box was a cupcake. Looking down at the cupcake, she noticed writing on the top of it. Printed in bright green icing were the words "I'm Sorry".

Hermione moved it to her bedside table. She turned, picking up the box. It was tied in a red ribbon. Slowly, she pulled the end and watched as the ribbon fell away. The top slid off easily. Inside was a piece of paper. She picked it up and read: 'Hermione, I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you. Go out with me tomorrow night? P.S. I hope you like it.'

_Like what?_ she thought, looking down at the box. She gasped and the letter slid from her hands. She reached down, tentatively, pulling out a beautiful black silk dress. It was astonishing. The dress was full length, reaching right down to her ankles. The slit in the right side would come up to her knee. It was sleeveless and had only a slightly revealing v-neck design. She could only stare at it in awe.

She lay it gently in it's box. Picking up the paper, she searched the bottom. _DM. Draco? There was no way. _He was against her going out with Blaise because she wasn't a Slytherin. Why would he want to take her out? _But who else could it be?_

_Oh well, she could figure it our later. Now she had to get ready. Hermione turned and made her way to her wardrobe. She decided on a black skirt and one of her favorite tops. It was a red, one-shoulder top. She wore red leotards and black heels. Then she pulled her hair up into a pony tail. Her makeup was simple; eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, and cherry red lip gloss._

_Hermione realized then that she was starving and turned back to her bedside table. She eyed the cupcake longingly before giving in. sighing she walked back and picked it up. She began licking the icing off as she made her way to the door. The icing, she noted, was butterbeer flavored. Just as she closed her door, she heard Draco's footsteps behind her._

_She turned to face him. Draco looked down at the cupcake in her hand. He smiled slowly. "So you forgive me then?"_

_Hermione stared at him for a moment, raised the cupcake to her mouth, and licked the icing. Draco's eyes followed the movement. She had more icing on the side of her mouth. He took a step towards her, then another, closing the space between them. His eyes never moved from the icing near her mouth. His eyes darkened. His voice was low and he said in a husky whisper, "You have icing on your mouth." His eyes moved from her mouth to her eyes and back. He leaned in. "Here, hold still." His mouth touched the side of hers and his tongue snaked out to lick off the icing. He pulled back, his eyes searching her rich brown ones. He wasn't sure of what he say there. _

"_So the cupcake was from you then?" Her voice was low._

_Draco nodded. "So do you forgive me?" She nodded. He swallowed. "And the other thing? Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?"_

_She stared at him, then at the cupcake in her hand. She ran a finger over the icing and looked at it. Slowly, she raise her hand and ran her finger over his bottom lip, leaving a trail of icing. "You have icing on your mouth, " she said quietly and leaned toward him. Her tongue ran over his lip, licking off the icing._

_He stood frozen for a moment, trying to process what had happened. She had forgiven him, that he was sure of. His hands went to her hips, moving her back. He pressed her against the wall behind her, kissing her. He stepped back, his hands falling to his sides, when he felt Hermione push gently on his chest._

_She was staring at him. Suddenly, she walked to the couch. She put her cupcake on the end table beside the couch. Turning back, she saw that he had followed her. He stopped, standing a few steps away from her. "Draco, why did you ask me out?" she said suddenly. "You said Slytherins don't go out with Gryffindors."_

_She didn't have time to think. Draco closed the space between them. He took her face in his hands, his eyes searching hers. "I'm sorry about that Hermione. I way lying. I just didn't want you going out with Blaise. God, I'm sorry." He stopped talking and brought his mouth to hers. His tongue ran a path over her lips. He moved from her mouth to her neck. His teeth lightly grazed the soft flesh of her neck. Her hands moved up his chest. She ran her fingers though his hair, her head thrown back._

_Draco moved to the couch and sat down, pulling her with him. Hermione straddled him, his mouth never leaving her neck. His hands were on his waist, moving up. His thumbs caressed her nipples before he cupped her breasts, massaging them. She moaned, throwing her head back again. She tugged at his hair, pulling his head up. His mouth crushed hers._

_His hands moved lower to rest on her thighs. His fingers kneaded her soft skin as he worked his way up. He found her, hot and wet. He pushed her panties aside and pushed a finger gently inside her. She sucked in her breath. He froze, looking up to stare into her eyes, searching for her reaction. Her eyes opened slowly and he could see that they were glazed over. "Hermione? Are you okay with this?" he whispered to her._

_She looked at him as her eyes focused again. "I…I don't know Draco. I've never done this before."_

_He raised his hand to gently touch her face. She looked at him. Gently, he eased his other finger out of her, resting his hand on her waist. "It's alright Hermione. We can stop. You don't have to do this if you aren't ready. I'm not going to push you. All you have to do is tell me t stop, if it gets too uncomfortable for you. I'll stop, I promise. I don't want to hurt you." He kissed her again on her mouth and pulled away to lean his head on her shoulder._

"_Thank you Draco. And yes, I will have dinner with you tomorrow." It was then that she remembered her date with Blaise. He was probably waiting for her already. She jumped up and pulled out her wand. Flicking it, she summoned her purse out of her room. It came, flying into her hand. "I have to go." she said quickly and was gone._


	23. Chapter 23

Blaise was waiting for her as she descended the steps. He was looking at the ceiling, daydreaming, it looked like. She made her way towards him. "Hi Blaise." she said, smiling.

He turned at the sound of her voice. He broke into a grin. "Hey. Glad you didn't bail on me. Are you ready to go?" He asked, offering his arm to her, which she accepted with a nod.

They walked to Hogsmeade. Blaise led her into the Three Broomsticks. They sat across from each other, both ordering a butterbeer to drink.

"You look great tonight." Blaise told her. "Very hot." he added with a wolfish grin.

Hermione felt a blush spread over her. Not quite sure about how she felt at being called "hot", she looked away. At that moment, a young waiter arrived, carrying their drinks. She smiled up at him as he set down her cup. He left five minutes later with their orders.

She turned back to see Blaise staring at her. She raise an eyebrow, "What?" she asked.

His eyes moved to hers then down again. He smirked, "You have something on your neck." He pointed to the spot on his own neck. "Just here."

She raised her hand to her neck an swiped at the spot. What came away was a dab of icing. She stared at it, her mouth opened slightly. Then she smiled, remembering how the icing must have gotten there. Absently, she licked the icing off her fingers. The sweet butterbeer icing mixed with the taste of the butterbeer she was drinking. Her tongue ran over her lips, savoring it. She raised her eyes to Blaise's and grinned. "Icing."

He blinked. "Icing?"

"Yeah," she said, still looking at him.

His look was one of confusion. "How did you get icing on your neck?"

But Hermione just shook her hear. The rest of their date passed in quiet conversation. They laughed and joked and talked about class. Blaise paid their bill and took her hand as they left the Three Bromsticks. It was getting dark as they made their way down the main street of Hogsmeade.

Blaise came to a halt and Hermione stopped with him. She turned to face him. "Hermione, you look amazing." Then he pulled her to him and brought his mouth down to hers. His kiss was light at first, but as he tried to deepen the kiss, she gently began to push him away.

"No." She said. When he didn't stop immediately, she pushed more forcefully. "No, Blaise. Stop." But still he didn't let her go. Her hand slipped into her pocket and she grasped her wand. She brought it up to his chest and felt him freeze immediately. "Let me go, Blaise. Now." His arms fell to his sides. She took off in an instant, not looking back when he called her name.

Draco was sitting, shirtless, in a chair with a book when the portrait door swung open. Hermione bounded into the room. He knew something was wrong from the look on her face and was on his feet.

She looked up and saw him. She froze for a moment before flinging herself into his arms. He caught her, his arms going around her. Her body shook, from what, he couldn't be sure. One had rubbed her back and the other moved soothingly over her hair. His lips moved against her head as he whispered comforting words to her.

"Hermione." He said softly in her ear. "What's wrong?"

She swallowed, her voice rough. "Blaise…"

His arms tensed around her. He held her away so he could look at her. His hand moved to her chin, tilting it up to his. "What did he do? Tell me, Hermione."

"He tried to kiss me. I let him at first. But then he tried to kiss me… well the way you do, and I didn't want him to." Her voice hitched and she took a breath to steady herself. "I told him no but he wouldn't stop. Then I tried to push him, but he wouldn't let go. So I pulled out my wand and threatened him and then I ran here." She shuddered and her head fell to his shoulder again. "Oh gods, Draco… I was so scared. I couldn't stop him."

He gently released her from him. He was halfway to the door when he heard her speak. "Draco? Draco, where are you going?"

"I'm going to kill him. That's where I'm going Hermione." He didn't turn around, just started for the door again.

Hermione was at his side in seconds. "No. Draco, no. Please don't leave me here alone. Please?"

Her pleading stopped him dead. He turned to face her. He sighed and nodded. Draco took her hand and led her back to the couch. He sat, pulling her down beside him.

"Will you read to me Draco?" Her voice was low and shaky still. He nodded and reached for his book. Laying on the couch, he moved her to lay beside him. She lay with her head on his shoulder, her hand splayed across his naked chest. Draco began to read.

Twenty minutes later, Draco could hear her even breathing. He knew she was asleep. He stared at her for a moment. Sighing, he picked up his book again and continued to read.

He had been reading for five minutes when he heard her. She was still asleep but she had begun to move. She was shaking her head, mumbling 'no' again and again. He realized that she was having a nightmare.

His hand stroked her cheek. He whispered her name. she came awake with a start. Blinking, her eyes focused on him.

"Come on, Hermione. It's time you got to bed. You've had a long night." He stood, then turning, offered her his hand. She slipped her hand into his and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

They stood facing each other. Neither moved, neither spoke. The minutes stretched out, slowly ticking by. Hermione moved first. She reached up on her toes and softly kissed him. The kiss was brief and she pulled back. She gave him a small smile before she turned and walked to her room.


	24. Chapter 24

Once inside, Hermione closed the door. She went to her wardrobe and found her new red nightgown. Stripping off her clothes, she tossed them into her hamper. She pulled the silky material over her head, smoothing it out with her hands.

Throwing back the blankets, she crawled into her bed. She lay back, closing her eyes. Images of blaise trying to force himself on her flashed in her mind. She shook her head, trying to force them away. But the images wouldn't go away.

She kicked the blanket away from her and sat on the edge of her bed. Her bare feet were dangling just above the floor. She stared at them, thinking. With a sigh, she stood up.

Draco was lying on his bed, staring at his ceiling in the dark when he heard a soft knock on his door. He knew it was her. Who else could it be. He sat up and called for her to come in.

The door opened slowly, silently. He switched on the beside lamp and deeply regretted it. She was standing in his doorway, wearing only a short red nightgown. Her wide eyes made her look like an innocent child.

"Draco…" she said in her small, shaky voice. She was looking down at the floor. "Can I sleep in here with you tonight?" Her question took him by surprise until she looked up and her saw the fear in her eyes. "Please? I don't want to be alone tonight."

He knew it was a bad idea but Draco nodded anyhow. He pulled back the blanket beside him and watched as she scrambled in. she pulled the blanket up over her and sighed contently. Hermione turned to him and smiled. "Thank you Draco." She stared up at him, smiling. Slowly, her smile faded and she reached up, her lips touching his lightly. Her eyes closed when their lips met. Her arms went around his neck, his hands cupped her face. He held her there, his mouth crushing hers with a sudden, urgent need.

He moved over her. His body pressing hers into the bed. His leg nudged hers, spreading them open to create a cradle for him to rest between. He let his hands move over her boy. When they came to rest on her breasts, he could hear her moan deep in his mouth. Her hands slid down his shoulders to his chest.

Her fingers moved over his muscles, taking in the feel of his body. His hands moved lower, finding the end of her nightgown. He began to push the nightgown up. Hermione arched her back, helping him move the material away. The nightgown was over her head and discarded to the floor.

Draco pulled back, letting his eyes move over her. He drank in the sight of her. She was breathe-taking. His hands were shaking as they gently touched her soft skin. His breath becoming uneven.

Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at him. Her breathing was uneven when she spoke his name. "Draco…" she breathed in a rushed whisper.

He froze. His hands stilled on her body. Their eyes met and he couldn't look away. "Hermione… Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked between breathes.

Her chest heaved. Her eyes searched his. Her hands slid up his chest to wrap around his neck. She slowly pulled him down to her, her eyes never leaving his. When his lips touched hers, he moved cautiously.

"God, Hermione." he said, his voice shaking. "Are you sure? You have to be sure. I don't think I can stop again."

"Yes, Draco. I'm sure. Teach me what to do. Teach me to make love. I want to learn."

Draco groaned. "Oh god, Hermione." His mouth took hers in a frienzed rush. She drew him closer. Her hands were on his back. She let them slid up, moving through his hair. Draco moved down, his mouth capturing the tip of her breast. His hand moved lower, finding her, hot and wet, ready for him. He slipped his finger inside her. Her back arched, her fingers tightening in his hair, pulling it. His finger moved in her and she moaned.

He knew he couldn't wait much longer. He pulled back, looking at her. He moved his hand away from her slowly. "Hermione… Hermione look at me." She opened her eyes slowly and looked at him. He touched her face gently. "Hermione, this is going to hurt. But only at first. I'll be careful. I don't want to hurt you."

She smiled at him. Her hand touched his cheek, lightly caressing it. "I know Draco. I trust you."

He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her slowly. Quickly discarding his pajama bottoms, he moved to her. His hand took hers and guided it down his body. He placed her hand over him and closed her fingers around him. "Touch me, Hermione. Guide me to you." he instructed her in a husky voice. She did, hesitantly.

When she guided him to her, he paused. Her hands slid up to his chest, feeling the muscles there. He moved slowly, gently pushing forward. He felt the moment he met her maidenhood. His mouth pressed against hers and he thrust forward, breaking through the soft barrier.

Her nails dug into his flesh. Her smothered scream echoed in his mouth. He held perfectly still. A few minutes passed before he felt her un-tense. "Are you okay now?" he whispered. She nodded, bringing her mouth up to his. He moved slow, letting her adjust to him. It became a labored effort with each thrust. His thrusts became harder, faster. With each push, her nails dug into his flesh again, this time from pleasure rather than pain. Her moans broke their kiss so that he turned his attention to her breasts. He felt her tighten around him as she tripped into estacy. He looked up to watch as she closed her eyes and moaned. One final thrust had him following her with his own release. When the throws of his own release died away, he collapsed beside her.

He rolled onto his back, pulling her to lay on her side next to him. She lay half on him, her leg resting between his. Her hand was on his chest, playing with the hair. She traced light patterns over his muscles. They lay that way in silence while their breathing slowed.

He listened as her breathing grew steady and even with sleep.

_Oh God, _Draco thought, _I think I'm in love with her._


	25. Chapter 25

Draco woke up to an empty bed. _Was it just a dream? Well, dream or not, one thing was for sure. He, Draco Malfoy, was in love with Hermione Granger. And that was dangerous to both of them._

_He threw the blanket back and got out of bed. Putting on a pair of black pants and a green t-shirt, he opened the door. There was a note attached to the bathrooms door:_

_Draco,_

_Had to meet Harry and Ron for breakfast. _

_Helping them study. Then having lunch _

_with Ginny. I hope we are still having dinner _

_tonight. I'll be back around five. See you then._

_Hermione_

_Okay, so last night had not been a dream. Of course, he'd known that once he saw the blood in his bed. She wouldn't tell them about last night, would she? No, they would never forgive her for it._

_Now all he needed to do was figure out what he was going to do about his new found feelings. His father would never approve of her. Especially with Lord Voldemort's quickly approaching attack. He's bring it up at dinner tonight._

_Hermione sat across from Ron and Harry. "Ron! How could you say that?" Her voice was slightly raised._

_Ron looked at her. "All I'm saying is that I bet that ferret, Malfoy, put Zabini up to it."_

_She wanted to slap him. "For you information, Ronald, I nearly had to hex Draco to keep him from killing Zabini when he found out!"_

_This time it was Harry who spoke up. "Hermione, why would Malfoy want to try to kill Zabini?" he asked her, his voicing seeping with doubt._

_She sighed and said the first thing that came to mind. "Because he doesn't want his precious Slytherins going out with a Gryffindor. Least of all the mudblood best friend of one of his biggest enemies." _

_Ron and Harry exchanged glances. It was Harry who spoke once again. "That's just like Malfoy. Typical."_

_Yeah, he thinks his house is too good for the rest of us." Ran added._

_Hermione watched them talk, seeming content with her reason. They finished breakfast and walked up to the Gryffindor common room._

_Ginny came in at noon. She kissed Harry before turning to Hermione. "Hey, are you ready?"_

"_More than ready." She grinned. "Any more of this and I'll die." She threw her books in her bag and stood. "Come on, let's get out of here."_

_Hermione and Ginny made their way to Hogsmeade, talking about their classes._

"_So," Ginny said, "How about we go shopping before we eat? We can make it a late lunch."_

_Hermione beamed. "Absolutely. There's this cute little shop called 'Styled'. I saw it yesterday and I'm dying to see what it has."_

"_Why were you here yesterday?"_

_Hermione stopped. "Didn't Ron tell you yet? I…I had a date. With Blaise Zabini. Harry knew, so I assumed you did too."_

_Ginny blinked. "You had a date with Blaise Zabini?" Hermione nodded. "No wonder Ron and Harry have been glaring at him. Well, what happened?"_

_As they walked to the store, Hermione told Ginny about her date. "So then, I ran back to my room. Well, Draco was there and he saw me shaking. He demanded to know what happened and I told him. Then he tried to go and kill the little rat, Zabini. I was barely able to stop him."_

_Ginny could only stare for some time. Then she found her voice, "Why would Malfoy…."_

_Before she could finish her sentence, Hermione gave her the same reason she had given to Harry and Ron. Ginny, like the boys, seemed to believe it. The two friends walked into the store, laughing._

_The store was brilliant! There were clothes for every occasion inside. They wandered into the dresses. There were so many. They spent two hours trying on dresses._

_When Hermione came out in a baby blue ball gown, Ginny gasped. "Oh Hermione! You have to get that dress! It's so beautiful."_

"_You really think so?"_

"_Yes! You have to get it. It's like it was made for you."_

_Hermione checked the price of the dress. "Well, I did save up some of my money from my summer job. It will take a big chunk of it, but it is a beautiful dress. Why not? Okay, I'll get it. But only if we can find one for you too."_

_They did. Ginny bought a red ball gown. Hers had glitter and went spectacularly with her fiery red hair._

_Draco returned from Snape's office at five-thirty. He could hear the shower so Hermione must have gotten back already. Good, if she was in the shower, then there was no chance that she would see him covered in soot and floo powder._

_He went to his bedroom, closing it, and began to strip off his soot-covered clothes. There was so much going on. Lord Voldemort finally had enough followers. The meeting was to tell his death eaters that the attack was to happen soon. They had but to choose a date._

_He wouldn't think about that now though. Right now, the only thing he wanted to think about was his date with Hermione. He was going to take her to a magnificent restaurant in Paris._

_Draco heard the shower stop. A few minutes passed before he heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. Her bare feet padded across the common room. Her door opened then closed. Silence followed._

_He made his way to the bathroom. His shower was quick, half an hour later, Draco stepped out of his room in a suit, his step faltered then he froze when Hermione opened her door._

_She was stunning. She wore the black dress that he had bought her. The shimmering black silk clung to her. He could see the swell of her breasts under the dress. Her hair was up, done in a fancy bun, with a few tendrils hanging down. She spun around and he noticed the open back of the dress, the slit that came up to her knee. She more no jewelry, only simple black and glitter make up. Her lips were a light red, though. He was speechless._

"_So," Hermione asked, "do I look okay?" She stared at him, her eyes large and hopeful._

_He gulped. Draco opened his mouth to speak, failed, and closed it again. He nodded._

_Hermione smiled. "Well, I have to get my cloak then I'll be ready." She hesitated. "Err… Draco? How are we going to get out of here without everyone seeing up?"_

_He found his voice at last. "Put on your cloak." He pulled out his wand and cast an illusion charm on her hair. "There. Now it'll look like you're just going for a walk. Go to Hogsmeade and meet me behind the Three Broomsticks. But wait for about ten minutes after I leave before you go."_

_She nodded. Draco put on his own cloak and left._

_She met him behind the Three Broomsticks twenty minutes later. "Draco, where are we going?"_

"_We're going to apparate. It's a surprise, so hold on." He help out his arm and she took it. He twisted his wand as he focused on the restaurant and darkness sucked them in._


	26. Chapter 26

They stood, arms linked, as Hermione looked around. "Are we in Paris?" she asked, looking up at him.

He grinned. "Yeah, we are. Come on, we have reservations at eight."

She walked beside him in a daze as he led her to the restaurant. It was small and beautiful. In other words, it was expensive. There were seated immediately in a small corner booth.

"Draco, this place must cost a fortune."

He reached over and covered her hand with his own. "Don't worry about it Hermione. It's nothing."

"But this place is so expensive. I don't belong in a place like this."

"Hermione, you can't believe that! Look at you, you're stunning. For better than any witch in here now. When saw you earlier, I couldn't even speak. This is exactly where you belong."

Her eyes narrowed suddenly. "What's wrong wit you Malfoy? Last year, you hated everything about me. You hated me. Now you're telling me that I belong in your world."

Draco was taken back. He picked up her hand and turned it over, tracing the lines of her palm. "Look Hermione. I'm sorry about everything I ever said or did to you." He looked into her eyes. "I'm really sorry. You were always smarter. Always better at everything. And you were friends with Potter. I thought you were in love with him for a while. For a few years, I actually believed you were dating him. Then the little Weasley girl showed up and I knew she was the one Potter wanted."

The waiter came then. Draco ordered for them. When the waiter had gone, Hermione turned back to him. "Are you trying to tell me that you hated me because you were jealous?"

"Yes." Draco said, looking at her. "but it's more than that too. I was raised to hate you and everyone like you. You're muggle-born and you're a Gryffindor. You're friends with Potter and you're against the Dark Lord. You're everything I was raised to hate." He should just tell her now. He took a breath. "But things are different now."

The plates in front of them filled with their food. They ate and talked about class. They ordered ice cream for dessert. When they finished, Draco offered her his hand. "Come on, dance with me."

She looked up at him smiling. "Really?" Her hand slipped into his and he pulled her up.

"Yeah. One of the good things about being a Malfoy, I was taught to dance." He led her to the dance floor and took her in his arms. "Hermione?"

She looked up. "Yes, Draco?"

"Well, it's just that, I realize that I don't know much about you. Will you tell me what it's like to grow up without magic? I can't imagine not knowing about it."

Hermione smiled. "Well, okay. If you want me to. My parents are both dentists. That means that they wok on teeth. That's how they make their money. I went to public school, like all the muggle-borns. And Harry. It's just like Hogwarts, really, except that there's no magic. It really wasn't so bad."

"What did you do for fun? You couldn't fly or play wizard's chess. You didn't have toys."

Hermione laughed. "Don't be silly Draco. Of course I had toys. I had blocks and dolls and stuffed animals. I had regular chess. And even though I couldn't fly, I did have a bike that I could ride. And also there was the tele, music, and my books."

He looked shocked. "Muggles have all that? And it was fun?"

"Of course it was. Who knows Draco, maybe some day, you might enjoy that stuff."

He seriously doubted that. Not if Lord Voldemort got his way. He would kill all the muggles that didn't want to be slaves to wizards. After he killed Potter and his followers, that is. He froze. _Oh no. She was one of his followers. Which meant that Lord Voldemort would kill her._

"_Draco?" Hermione was looking at him. "Draco, what's wrong?"_

_He looked down, into the eyes of the one girl he thought he would never love. She had changed his life in such a short amount of time. She had changed him. "Hermione…" Her name was no more than a whisper. "Come on. Let's get back now. It's getting late." he paid the bill and took her hand to apparate back._


	27. Chapter 27

"Draco, tell me what's wrong." Hermione pleaded when they walked into their dorm. "You've been acting strange since we left Paris."

He looked at her now. He had to talk to her about it. He had to know that she'd be safe. He took a deep breath. "Hermione, I need to tell you something. The Dark Lord is preparing to attack. He has a great number of followers now and they're only waiting for the right time."

Hermione only stared at him. "Draco, why are you telling me this?" she asked, eying him suspiciously.

"Because I know you're going to fight. And I know that I can't stop you."

"No, you can't." she said fiercely.

He held up his hands. "I know. But you should be prepared at least. Make sure you have what you need. You're brilliant with charms. Enchant a small bag so that you can put a lot in it. Fill it with anything you think you will need if you have to escape quickly. I know Potter used to teach people to fight. See if he will do it again. You'll need all the help you can get."

She looked him in the eyes. "What's going on? Why are you telling me all this?"

_It's now or never. "Hermione…" He took a step towards her. "I don't know how this happened. It never should have happened. But it did happen, and I'm glad it did."_

"_Draco, what are you talking about?"_

_He took another step towards her. His hands clasped her upper arms lightly. Slowly, his mouth lowered to hers. It was a quick kiss, nothing more than a brush of lips. But in it, Draco willed all his feeling. "I… I think I'm in love with you Hermione." His lips caught hers again, his hands gently caressing her cheek._

_Slowly, her hands slid up his chest, wrapping around his neck. She opened her mouth slightly and his tongue ran over her lips. Her lips parted more and his tongue slipped inside._

_Draco slid one arm behind her legs and swung her up into his arms. He carried her to his room. His mouth never left hers as he slowly set her on her feet beside his bed. His hands fell to her lips. They ran up her sides, coming to rest on her shoulders. He gently pushed the straps off her shoulders. His mouth moved to her neck and he began to trail light kisses down to her shoulders._

"_Draco…" His name was a hoarse whisper from her. Her hands were in his hair. His moved to release her hair from its restraints. It fell around her face, down her back and his fingers ran through it._

_Her hands moved from his hair to push his jacket off him. Her fingers undid the buttons of this shirt and it fell to the floor. She ran her hands over the coarse platinum hair of his chest. Draco tugged at her dress until it pooled around her feet on the floor. He lifted her slightly as she kicked off her shoes._

_His hands left her hair. He pushed down his slacks and boxers. His hastily kicked out of his shoes, which joined the rest of their clothes on the floor. He pulled her with him as he lowered them to the bed. He came over her and she parted her legs just as he had done last night. His hands grasped her hips as he thrust into her. She threw her head back and gasped with pleasure. Her nails dug into his back and she arched off the bed._

_He moved slowly, taking one of her breasts into his mouth. She moaned again. He worked her into a frenzy. When he felt her climax, he let his control abandon him and his own release followed._

_Draco lowered himself to the bed beside her. He rolled onto his back and pulled her against him. She lay there, tucked under his arm, as her fingers played with the hair on his chest. He pulled the sheet up around them._

"_Draco?" Her voice was still shaky from her labored breathing._

"_Yeah?"_

_She hesitated. _

_He moved to face her, bracing himself on his elbow. "What is it?"_

"_Did you mean it Draco? When you said you love me?"_

_He touched her face gently and smiled. His lips brushed hers and he pulled back again. "Yes Hermione. I meant it. I still do. I love you."_

"_Draco… I've liked you for a long time. I mean, it was mostly looks before. Now that I know you, I realize that I love you too." she said cautiously. "But we can't do this. It's wrong. It's dangerous…"_

"_I know. I've thought about that over and over again. I don't care. I don't care how wrong it is. I can't not be with you. We'll keep this a secret. Nobody has to know but us."_

"_Draco. We're fighting on opposite sides of an inevitable war. Your family and friends support Voldemort. You support Voldemort. If you fight, you'll die. And I might have to be the one to cause that."_

_His hand lifted her face to look at him. "Look at me Hermione. I won't die. I promise you that. After this war is over, I'll find you. We'll be together, somehow."_

"_This is crazy, Draco. I will be fighting. Beside Ron and Harry. I'll be one of the biggest targets. One of the most important to take out."_

"_I'll kill them myself before I let them hurt you. I don't care who it is."_

"_Draco… that could mean killing your own family."_

_He shook his head. "I don't care, Hermione. You are my life now."_

"_Draco", she sighed, pulling him to her and kissing him. "I love you Draco. Alright, we will keep it a secret."_

_He kissed her again. When they made love this time, it was slow. The lay in each other's arms quietly content as they drifted off to sleep._


	28. Chapter 28

"Harry?"

"Hey Hermione. What's up?"

She forced a smile. Finally, she had found Harry, Ron and Ginny in the Gryffindor common room. "Do you remember when we started 'Dumbledore's Army' back in our fifth year? Well, I think we should start it up again."

Everyone was looking at her. "Why Hermione?" Harry was fully alert now. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. It's just that when I was I Hogsmeade the other day, I thought I might have overheard someone talking. It sounded like they were saying that Voldemort is getting ready to attack. I just think we should be prepared."

There was shock in the silence that followed Hermione's announcement. "Yeah Hermione. But we will be looking for Horcruxes." Ron said finally.

She looked at him. "I know that. But if he attacks, our friends will be in danger. We can't leave them defenseless. And besides, if he attacks before we are gone, we'll have to fight for our escape."

Ginny, who had remained silent up until now, spoke up. "I think Hermione is right." She turned to Harry. "You won't take me with you, will you?"

Harry shook his head vehemently. "No. Not a chance."

"Well, then," Ginny continued, "The least you can do is make sure I can fight when you're gone."

Harry looked at them, thinking. "Okay. Let's get everyone together. We'll tell them that the D.A. is coming back. Hermione, do you know that it is that you're going to have us learn?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. But I will. Tell everyone that we will meet in two weeks. That should give me time to prepare."

"This is going to be an interesting year." Ron announced. "Only a week into school and already, we're preparing to fight."

They all nodded gravely. Hermione stood. "I have to go. There's a lot I need to do yet."

Hermione went to her room and got her cloak. She went to Hogsmeade, to the bookstore. If she was going to do this right, she needed some books of her own. The last thing they would need is a suspicious librarian.

An hour later, Hermione left with five books. _Keeping Up Your Defense _and _Shield Yourself_ were two defense spell books. _Raise Your Wand_ was a book just for fighting spells. She had managed to find a book on creating spells. The last book was one she didn't even want to think about buying: _A Beginner's Guide to Dark Arts._ But they would have to know as much as they could about what they were going up against.

She walked down the main road until she came to a small jewelry store. Inside, she saw stones, chains, bracelets and rings. Some were for no more than showing off, while others held special charms for luck, love, even strength. There were even books on charms.

She found some necklaces that each held a single simple stone in one of four colors: read, blue, green, and purple. She bought fifty of them, knowing she'd be glad for the extras. She also bought another book, this one on how to charm items.

Her last stop was to a supply store. She bought more parchment, quills, and ink. Arms loaded down with parcels, Hermione made her way back to her room. Once inside, she dumped the packages on her bed.

_May as well get started._ She decided to start with the necklaces first. Pulling the bag towards her, she carried it to her desk and emptied it. The first thing to come out was the large book, followed by the necklaces. The first thing she had to do was separate them. Each stone would have a different charm, she decided. Opening the book, she began to scan it. There were ten green necklaces, that would be luck. It didn't take long to set the charm on each necklace. Next she would do the purple ones. Purple would be strength. She found the charm for that easily as well and charmed the ten purple stones. There were fifteen blue stones. Blue would be wisdom. The last was red, which would give it's wearer courage. After she finished charming the last necklace, she returned to her book.

She needed to find a silencing charm as well as a binding charm. These, it seemed were a bit more complicated. The first one she found was the silencing charm. It was a bit complex but exactly what she needed. It took her an hour to complete the charm on all fifty necklaces.

Next was a binding charm. She found a powerful one. The good thing about it was that it was a personalizing charm. Once a person put on the necklace, his or her name would appear and it would be bound only to that person. To Hermione's delight, she found that she could make it so that only she, the charmer, was able to remove the necklaces. This was the most complicated charm she had ever had to perform but after nearly two hours, she managed to finish the last one.

She picked up one of the red stone necklaces, took a deep breath, and slid it over her head. It came to rest around her neck. Hermione held her breathe as she watched the stone in her hand. Slowly her name appeared in white script across the stone. _It worked! Hermione jumped up and down, clapping her hands._

_There was a knock at her bedroom door, followed quickly by Draco's voice. "Hermione? Are you alright?"_

_Hermione rushed to the door and opened it. She threw herself into Draco's arms, a grin on her face. "Draco, I did it! It works!" She let go of him and stepped back, hardly able to hold still. "Look!" She held up the stone for him to inspect._

_He stared at it. Confused. "Uh… Hermione. What exactly did you do?"_

_She grinned at him. "Try to take it off of me." He did try, but the necklace wouldn't leave her neck. She laughed "I charmed them." She gestured to the desk. "Here." She picked up a green necklace and handed it to him._

_He looked at it, then to her. "What's it for?"_

"_I can't tell you. Not until you put it on." Draco sighed and put it on. "Okay. Well, I talked to Harry, Ron and Ginny. We agreed to start up the D.A. again. So I went to Hogsmeade to get some stuff. Last time we id this, everyone signed a paper. If you told anyone, then we knew who you were because I had bewitched the paper. It didn't work very well. So I thought of a better way to keep the secret. These necklaces are charmed. They have a different charm for each color: courage is red, wisdom is blue, purple is strength and green," she said, pointing to his necklace, "is luck. There are also two other charms on them, which they all share. The second charm is a silencer. It prevents the wearer from talking about the D.A. to anyone who is not wearing one of the necklaces. The last one is a binding charm. Once you put the necklace on, it's yours. You are the only one who can wear it." Draco looked at the stone to see his name written across it in neat white script. "And," she continued, "I'm the only one who can remove the necklace." Her triumphant smile returned._

_He stared at her before trying to remove the necklace from his neck. It didn't budge. "This is brilliant Hermione!" He picked her up and kissed her._

_She laughed and smiled up at him. "Come here. I'll show you what else I got." She pulled him over to the bed and reached for her package of books. She opened it and began to pull them out one at a time. "See, I've got two new books on defense. Our side doesn't want to fight to kill. So we will learn mostly defensive spell. Then there's a book for offense because we knew we will have to fight back if necessary. We know that we may have to kill to survive and we are prepared to do just that. Of course, we'll be focusing mainly on just badly hurting people. Then I got a book on creating spells. I think we may have a better chance if we are fighting with spells that nobody even knows exist. Then there's this." She pulled out the book on Dark Arts. "I want to know what I'm up against, Draco. So I have a favor to ask you. Will you show me the spells they use? I know it's dark magic but I need to know how to fight it. And I know they taught you all about it."_

_He stared at her. "Hermione, Dark Arts isn't something you play with. You're right, I was taught to fight with dark magic. And I've been hurt by it and I've hurt others using it. It isn't something you should mess with."_

"_Draco, please. I need to know…"_

_She wasn't going to give up, Draco knew. "Okay. I'll teach you what I think you need to know. But only if you agree to let me teach you how to fight. I mean hands on fighting. If you lose your wand, I don't want you to be defenseless."_

_Hermione beamed at him. "You've got a deal! You can teach me to fight every Monday and Friday night. And you can teach me about Dark Arts on Wednesday and Sunday nights. I'm going to have D.A. meetings on Tuesday and Thursday nights, but that won't start for another two weeks."_

_He stared, shocked. "That's a lot to do Hermione. When are you going to find time for homework? What about eating?"_

"_Don't worry Draco. I can handle it." She smiled and kissed him. "Hide that necklace, you can't take it off. I have t go. I'll be back later and you can start teaching me." She gathered the remaining necklaces in a bag._

_He stood, walked to her, and wrapped his arms around her. She stopped and leaned back against him. It felt so right to be here, against his chest. He leaned down and kissed her neck. She turned her head and he kissed her mouth. "Good luck. I'll be here waiting. And don't forget to eat." He kissed her again and left the room._

_She finished gathering the necklaces and went to find everyone. It was nearly time for dinner so she headed to the Great Hall. Ever since Dumbledore said that they were no longer required to sit at house tables, it was easier to find everyone. She took off her necklace and slipped it into her pocket._

_She took her seat between Ron and Neville. "Hey guys. Tell everyone to meet us at the lake after dinner."_

"_Why?" Ron asked suddenly. "Don't tell me that you're ready now. It hasn't even been one day yet."_

_She sighed and shook her head. "No, I'm not ready for a lesson yet Ronald. But I do have something I want to say to everyone."_


	29. Chapter 29

Everyone gathered at the lake. Hermione stood in front of them all. Ron, Harry and Ginny stood behind her. There were forty-five students, fifth, sixth, and seventh years.

"Hello." she began. "You all know that you are here because you want to start up the D.A. again." There were some hoots and cheers. "Well, as you know, our last attempt at keeping it a secret didn't turn out too well for us. Which is why I came up with a new solution." she held up her necklace.

"What exactly is that supposed to do?" Seamus called from the front of the group.

"Come up here. I'll show you." He hesitated and someone behind him pushed him forward, laughing. "Come on, we haven't got all night." He moved forward cautiously. "What does this say?" She asked and held out the necklace.

"It says Hermione Granger."

"Yes because this is mine. Now, when I put it on, ask me why I bought it. Ask about the D.A." she instructed and slipped it over her head.

"Why did you buy the necklace?" Seamus asked her.

"Because it's pretty." She smiled. Showing him a small bottle. "This is Veritessillum. The truth potion." She drank it and nodded for him to continue.

"What is Dumbledore's Army? Are you part of it?"

She smiled sweetly. "How can I be part of something that doesn't exist?" They stared at her in disbelief. "Now, try to take the necklace."

He reached for it. He pulled but it wouldn't move. She took the necklace off and handed it to him. "Try to put it on." When he tried to pull the necklace over his head, it shot out of his hands and landed in Hermione's hand.

"I have enough for everyone here. They are charmed with charms that I put on them myself. There are four stones. Luck, wisdom, strength and courage. They each contain a silencing charm which will forbid you from speaking about the D.A. to anyone who isn't wearing a necklace. They also contain a binding charm. Once you put it on, it will be yours. Only you may wear it, but only I an remove it. It is the simplest way to ensure that our secret is kept. If anyone asks where you got them from, it was a gift that I gave to my friends."

There was a stunned silence. Finally, Neville stepped forward. "Her…Hermione? Can I have one of those courage necklaces?"

That was all it took. A line formed immediately. Half an hour later, everyone had a necklace.

"Hermione," Harry exclaimed, "This is absolutely brilliant!" His decree was followed by a roar of agreement.

"Okay everyone. One last thing. We will be meeting in the Room of Requirements every Tuesday and Thursday night at eight."

Slowly, everyone made their way back to the castle. As Hermione started back, she felt a hand on her arm. She turned to see Ginny behind her.

"Hey Gin, what's up?"

"Oh, I wanted to talk to you about something. I was wondering if you would be able to teach me a little extra. You know, private lessons? That way I can continue the meetings after you guys leave."

Hermione stared at her. "Okay Ginny. Meet me in the Room of Requirements an hour before each meeting and I'll teach you then."

"Thanks Hermione." The younger witch smiled. "I know you're really busy, but I really appreciate it.


	30. Chapter 30

Hermione made it back to her room by nine. Draco was sitting on the couch, reading his book. He smiled and closed the book when he saw her.

"Hey there." He stood and moved to stand in front of her. She smiled back and slid her arms around him. "So how did your little gathering go?"

"Little?" She scoffed, "I'd hardly call forty-five people a 'little gathering' Draco."

He pulled back and looked at her. "Forty-five people? That's pretty impressive."

"And that's not counting me, Harry, Ron and Ginny."

"I had no idea…" She laughed and kissed his chin. His mouth captured hers and he kissed her.

"Draco… Draco stop. Come on… you promised to teach me." He groaned and tried to ignore her protests, moving to kiss her neck. "I know you heard me Draco." She laughed, lightly smacking his shoulder. "Come on."

Still he tried to ignore her. He kissed her neck, biting her gently. His hands moved down under her blue skirt. He found her, touching her gently while he continued to nip at her neck. He slipped his finger inside her and at last, she moaned. Her hands tightened on his shoulders, nails digging into his flesh.

"Oh… Draco." he moved again and she moaned. He slipped another finger inside her and she arched against him. "Maybe you… could teach me… later…" His fingers moved again.

His other hand unfastened the buttons on his jeans. He backed her up against the wall and freed himself from his jeans. His fingers left her and his hands cupped her butt. He lifter her up, still kissing her neck. She wrapped her legs around him lightly.

He brought her down to him. He thrust into her and he heard her suck in her breath.

"Draco…" Her voice was a whisper but he heard the question in it. He looked up at her with darkened eyes.

"It's okay Hermione. Just be still for a minute." he was too close right now. He returned to kissing her neck. She moaned and squirmed against him. He groaned. His hands held her still as he thrust into her. His thrusts grew faster with each stroke. "Oh god… Hermione…" He groaned as he thrust into her once more. His body stiffening with release. Her back was arching toward him and she gave a choked scream as she was consumed with pleasure. Finally, she slumped against him, breathing rough.

He pulled out of her and lowered her to her feet. He kissed her hair, breathing heavy. "I'm sorry Hermione. I shouldn't have done it like that. I should have taken you to the room and lay you on the bed. I don't know what came over me. I just…"

She silenced him with a kiss. "Draco, stop. Did you hear me complain?" When he opened his mouth to object, she gently lay two fingers across his lips. "No. No buts. It was wonderful. It was spontaneous. I'm glad it happened. It reminded me of how much you want me." She lowered her fingers and replaced them with her lips.

Draco kissed her back. It was a deep kiss, long but slow. When he felt himself getting hard again, he pulled away from her. "If you want me to teach you anything, we'd better stop now."

She turned red and looked down. That was a mistake. She could see him, half hard. Without thinking, she reached out to him. Her fingers touched him softly and he sucked in a breathe. She watched as he grew harder, larger before her eyes.

She looked up. His eyes met hers and she could see that he wanted her again. "Come to bed Draco…" Her voice was husky. "We can start lessons another day."

They made love slowly, falling asleep afterwards.


	31. Chapter 31

Two weeks passed quickly. Hermione woke up early every day for class. Her lessons with Draco began immediately. After class on Monday, Hermione studied and did homework with Ron and Harry. Then she went back to her room and Draco taught her to fight. They ate dinner in their room, showered, then made loving, falling asleep in each others arms.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, Hermione spent studying her books after class. While Hermione studied, Draco had Quidditch practice. When he came back, he showered and came to Hermione's room. He helped her practice new spells. Then they would fall asleep together after making love.

Wednesdays and Fridays passed the same as Mondays except that Draco taught her about Dark Arts on Wednesdays. On Saturday, Hermione relaxed. She slept until ten, when Draco would bring her breakfast. They ate in bed and talked about their plans for the day. Her afternoons were spent with Harry, Ron and Ginny. They discussed the upcoming meetings. Draco went to his meetings for Death Eaters. At night, Draco and Hermione would sneak away to have dinner. It was never the same restaurant. Sunday afternoons, Hermione taught Harry, Ron and Ginny how to perform the spells for the week. She had her lessons with Draco at night before they fell asleep in his bed.

Monday night, Hermione lay in Draco's bed. She was twisting his hair in her fingers. It was still wet from showering. "Did anything happen at the Death Eater meeting?"

He wasn't surprised by the question. she had regularly been asking about his meetings. "Nothing to mention. They just sat around throwing out dates for the attack."

"Oh. Okay. So did you hear that there's going to be a dance? Well actually, it's going to be a ball. A masquerade."

"Really? For what?"

"We're going to be host to a wizards dueling tournament. Ron's brothers are going to be in it. It's for young wizards who have only been of age for the last ten years." Her hand was tracing a path down his arm.

"Hermione, that could be a bad idea. There are plenty of young wizards who follow the Dark Lord."

"That's why they will be checking for the Dark Mark before anyone is permitted to enter. Also, they'll be administering Veritaserium to make sure you aren't on Voldemort's side." Her fingers stopped their path at his wrist. "Draco… Do you have it? I don't know why I've never looked, but I'd like to know."

He was quiet. "If I had been given my way, I would have gotten it the moment he returned." She pulled away from him, shocked and appalled. He shook his head. "Let me explain Hermione." She relaxed a little after a moment. "I'm glad I didn't get my way. I can't even stand the idea of having the Dark Mark now. If I took that mark, I'd be supporting your death. That's something I won't ever do."

She turned his wrist over slowly, smiling at the clear skin. Her fingers drew patterns over it. "Why didn't you get it?"

"The Dark Lord didn't want students to be showing off the Dark Mark so close to Dumbledore." His skin began to tickle were her fingers drew patterns over it. He smiled. "So when is this ball?"

"Huh?" She shook her head slightly. "Oh, right. The ball. It's not supposed to be until January." she said, moving to lay against him.

"That's a long ways away." he remarked, kissing her bare shoulder.

"Mmhmm" she sighed. "It is."

"Very far away…" He kissed up her neck.

"Yes, very, very far…" Her head fell back against his shoulder.

He lightly nipped at her neck. His arms wrapped around her, his hands coming to rest on her stomach. "What do you want to do until then?"

She turned a little and whispered in his ear. He groaned and kissed her soundly, taking her urgently.


	32. Chapter 32

At seven o'clock, Hermione was at the Room of Requirements. Ginny walked in just minutes later.

"Hey Ginny. Okay, well I was thinking of how I could teach you. Since the lessons for the D.A. all have to follow a certain pattern, I thought we'd start with some things I've been studying for myself. These are for my own use, I hadn't planned on teaching them to the others."

Ginny smiled. "Okay Hermione. So what are you going to teach me today?"

"Well, since I'm starting the D.A. with defense, I thought we would start with some offense. Today's spell is simple. it's called 'The Sword'. the name says enough. Watch." Hermione held out her hand as though to draw a sword. "Illuscieth" She pulled upward and a sword of light formed in her hand where her wand had been. She swung a few times then lowered her hand. The sword disappeared.

Ginny watched, amazed. "Wow. That was cool."

Hermione smiled. "Yeah. Now the incantation is simple enough to remember. The trick is that the sword is made of light. It's used for good. To make it work, you have to think honorably. This means you can't think of killing just for the sake of killing. You have to thing about what's to be done for the greater good. Now, you saw, it's just like drawing a sword. Give it a try."

After half an hour of practice, Ginny knew what she was doing. "Look Hermione! I can do it!" She swung the sword in a high arch. She beamed at Hermione.

Hermione laughed. "Okay Ginny. Now it's time to really practice." She drew out her wand.

I have been practicing Hermione." She claimed indignantly before her eyes saw Hermione's wand. "You mean we're going to fight? For real?"

Hermione nodded.

The door opened twenty minutes later. Harry and Ron walked I as their swords slammed into each other. Sparks of light flew. They stood, gaping, as the girls fought. The swords fell away suddenly. The girls began to laugh and their swords disappeared.

"What the bloody hell was that Hermione? Why were you trying to kill my sister?" Ron asked, his voice raised. Both girls stopped laughing and whipped around immediately to the boys. "Well?"

"Oh Harry!" Ginny threw herself into Harry's arms, who barely had time to react. "Did you see? It was wonderful, fantastic!"

"It was brilliant Gin. But what's going on? Why were you two fighting?"

"It was nothing guys. Ginny showed up early so I decided to teach her a new spell to pass the time. We were just practicing. She brilliant really." Hermione explained to them. Ginny beamed.

The students began to file into the room.

"Okay now, first of all, did anyone have any problems with their necklaces? No? good." Hermione turned to Harry. "Okay Harry. Go on."

"Well," Harry started, "I'm pretty sure that you all know by now that Hermione is the one who teaches me what I teach you. So I think that she should be the one to lead the class, not me."

Every eye that had been on Harry turned to her with no warning. "Err, well okay." She took a deep breath. "Well, we can all say that we haven't done this in a while. So we're a bit out of practice. I decided to start today with just a simple shield spell. It should only take about an hour to learn and practice. Since this it the first meeting, I'll keep it short." She pulled out her once again.

"This is a full body shield. The incantation is 'Sapien Proteg'." Everyone practiced it a few times. "Okay, good. Now this next part is simple. Simply point the wand at yourself and say 'Sapien Proteg'." A sheath of silver light covered her. It disappeared a few minutes later. "Now this can be done on yourself or another human. Ginny, care to help me?"

Ginny moved quickly to stand beside her. "Okay now, I'll cast ginny with the shield spell and Harry will attack her with a spell. Now, let's see if my shields hold any power against the famous Harry Potter." She finished with a grin.

"Yeah, and don't half-ass it, Harry." Ginny added, looking at Harry. Laughter erupted from around them. Hermione held up her wand and the voices faded to silence.

"Sapien Proteg." Her words were a near shout.

"Sectumsempra!" Harry shouted. The silence was deafening as all eyes turned from Harry to see Ginny smiling, unharmed. Cheers erupted.

"Okay, okay." Now let's get to work. If you're good enough, maybe we can get in some practice on Harry." The look on Harry's face brought about another fit of laughter as everyone began to pair up. They split into groups, practicing first on themselves, then on each other.

Hermione, Ginny, Harry and Ron helped anyone who needed it. By the end of the hour, everyone could cast the shield spell. Even Seamus had managed to not cause any explosions.

"Alright, same time on Thursday. Keep practicing. Maybe we can test it out on Harry yet." Everyone left the room laughing.


	33. Chapter 33

_Christmas came quickly. Hermione woke up, smiling as Draco placed breakfast in front of her. He sat down beside her. "Merry Christmas Hermione." he smiled and kissed her tenderly._

_She grinned back at him. "Merry Christmas Draco."_

"_Do you have a lot to do today?"_

_She shook her head. "Not really. I have to exchange gifts with Harry, Ron and Ginny. I'll probably spend a few hours with them. Other then that, though, I don't really have anything to do." She paused from her breakfast to look at him. "Why do you ask?"_

"_Well, I'll be leaving soon. I have to have lunch with my parents today. They wanted me to go home for Christmas break but I told them I couldn't. said I had to be here in case something happened that the Dark Lord needed to know about. But they are insisting that I come home for lunch today."_

"_Oh, of course. Well, they are your parents Draco. When will you be back?"_

_He smiled and looked at her. "I should be back by five. So make sure you're ready to go by seven okay?" She looked at him, confused. "It's Christmas Hermione. I want to take you out to dinner."_

"_You don't have to do that Draco. You've taken me out every Saturday for the last four months. Your parents will be furious if they find out that you're spending their money on a mudblood like me."_

_He looked at her, anger in his eyes. "Don't call yourself that! And my parents will not find out about anything because it's not their money that I'm spending. It's mine."_

_She looked away, nibbling on her last bit of toast._

_Draco sighed. "I'm sorry Hermione. I just don't want you to think of yourself like that. You're not a mudblood. And it's not right for you to think that you are."_

"_Alright Draco." she smiled. "I'm sorry too. But if it's not your parents' money, then where did it come from?"_

_He looked away. "I'm sorry Hermione, but I can't tell you that." He looked back at her, taking her hand in his. "Please Hermione, just forget about it."_

_She nodded but Draco knew that she wouldn't forget._

"_Hey, Hermione!" Ginny threw her arms around the older witch. "We hardly see you outside of D.A. meetings."_

_Hermione smiled, "I know, I've just been so busy lately. But don't worry, I'm all yours for the next six hours."_

_Hermione hugged Harry and Ron before sitting down in the chair beside the couch. It seemed like forever since she had been in here._

"_So, lunch isn't for another hour. What do you guys want to do?" Ron asked._

"_Gifts?" Hermione suggested._

_They all exchanged glances. "Sure" Ginny said._

_Ron was first. Hermione got a book called Nearly Unknown Spells, which got a squeal of excitement. Hermione threw her arms around him and Ron blushed. Harry got a new broom polishing kit. Ginny received a book on hexing unwanted boys, which Harry glared at. Hermione and Ginny burst out laughing._

_Harry was next. He gave Ginny a book on charming boys, saying that he saw Ron's gift to her. He also whispered something to her, which made her grin. Ron got a pair of new dragon's hide gloves. Hermione's gift was a set of dragon combs for her hair. They were silver and had beautiful ruby eyes._

_Hermione volunteered to go after him. She gave Ron a pair of dragon's hide books, admitting help from Harry. Harry received a book on Auror training. Her gift to Ginny was a pair of gold, lion earrings with ruby eyes._

_Ginny was last to give gifts. She presented Harry with a coupon book full of favors she had made herself. Ron nearly choked when he saw this. He got a new broom kit of his own from Ginny. Hermione's gift was a beautiful baby blue masquerade mask. She looked up at Ginny and smiled. "It'll be perfect Gin!"_

"_I knew it would be." She smile back._

_By the time the gifts were all opened, it was time for lunch. They packed their gifts away. As they made their way downstairs, they stopped by Hermione's room so that she could put her gifts away._

_Then they went to the Great Hall for the Christmas feast. It was huge and delicious._


	34. Chapter 34

Draco's heart skipped a beat when Hermione opened her door. Her dress was a deep scarlet red. Her shoes were two inch red heels. She had her hair pulled up into a bun, held by her two new dragon combs. Her makeup was simple, as always. Yet she looked absolutely stunning.

"Wow" he breathed, walking over to take her in his arms. He kissed her. "You look breathe-taking." He kissed her again.

She smiled. "Do you really like it?"

"Do you even need to ask? Of course I like it. I'd like Neville Longbottom's clothes if they were on you." He kissed her and pulled away. "I'll meet you behind the Three Broomsticks."

Draco took her hand and led her inside. He heard her gasp as she looked around. He had decided to take her to Crystal Magic, one of the best restaurants in the magical world. They were taken to a secluded table near the back. He smiled at the stunned look on her face.

They talked about their lessons. Draco told her about Quidditch practice. Hermione told him about the D.A. lessons.

"So what happened at your lunch with your parents?" Hermione asked him.

"Nothing unusual. They complained about me not having the highest marks. Asked if anything important was going on. Then of course, there was the usual talk of Potter's death."

She gasped. He noticed that her hand touched one of the dragon combs in her hair. _No._ "Hermione, where did you get those combs?"

She raised her eyes slowly to his. "They were a Christmas present," her voice in a near whisper, "from Harry."

He cringed. Anger and jealously flowed threw him. "Let me guess, Weasley got you the underwear you've got on, right? A little bit of both of them tonight?" He may as well have spit venom as fast as she move. She was gone in seconds. He stared at her empty chair. His head fell to his hands. _What the hell did he just do?_

"_Damn it Hermione! Answer me!" he pounded on her door for the fifth time._

_He waited. Still no answer. He put his ear to the door. Nothing._

_He sat there for an hour, hoping she would come out. She didn't_

_It took Draco two days to realize that she wasn't just avoiding him. She was gone. Hermione had actually left Hogwarts. She had left him._

_The rest of the week passed slowly for Draco. He sat in their common room, waiting. She sent him no letters. He thought of the box he had left on her bed. It was her Christmas gift. He had wanted to surprise her at dinner with it. Then he had to open his big mouth and ruin it._

_The portrait door opened and Hermione walked in. she froze when she saw him. He stood up and she seemed to snap back quickly. She crossed the room. Her hand was on the handle of her door before he caught her by the wrist._

"_Hermione. " he said, turning her around. "Where were the hell were you?"_

_She looked up at him. "Let me go Draco."_

_He didn't. "Where were you?" His voice was lower. "Damn it Hermione! You left without a word. The least you could do is tell me where you went!"_

"_After the way you acted, I don't owe you a damn thing, Malfoy! I were those combs because they were dragons. They reminded me of you! And for your information, Ronald gave me a book!"_

"_That's where you went, isn't it? You went to be with Potter and Weasley?"_

_The crack of her hand across his cheek echoed in the silence of the room. "I went home!" She pulled free of his grasp and went into her room, slamming the door._


	35. Chapter 35

Hermione looked in the mirror one last time. Her gown was the baby blue ball gown she had bought with Ginny. Her hair was down, hanging in waved around her face and down her back. Her shoes were simple silver heels. She strapped her wand to her leg and settled the dress back into place.

This is it. She slid her mask into place. Making sure Draco was already gone, she opened the door. They hadn't spoken in nearly a month. She wasn't sure she could face him now. She made her way to the portrait and walked out.

Draco was standing next to Blaise and the other Slytherins. They were all dressed in simple black suits with black masks. He saw her out of the corner of his eye. She was with Potter and the Weasleys. She also looked amazing.

He wanted to talk to her. Try to make things right again. It had been over a month since he held her in his arms, since he kissed her.

"Hermione." Ron snapped his fingers. "Hey, come back to us Hermione. You keep zoning out."

She shook her head. "Sorry guys, I was just thinking about the next D.A. meeting."

"You're going to make yourself sick with how busy you are." Ginny told her.

_Actually, she wasn't that busy anymore. Since she and Draco had fought, her lessons with him had stopped._ "I know. I'll stop. I-" She was cut off by a loud crack. The wall behind Harry exploded. Everyone froze, then the screams began.

"It's him!" Someone shouted.

They looked about quickly. Death Eaters were appearing in the crowd. Wands were raised. Hermione quickly un-strapped her wand. Another streak of red nearly hit Harry.

Panic broke out, "Harry! We need to get out of here! Now!" Hermione shouted to him. She shot a hex at an approaching Death Eater. "Come on!"

The D.A. gathered around them. The members of the Order and the teachers were ushering out the students. Ginny clung to Harry.

"No Ginny. You have to go!" Harry shouted, arguing with her over the chaos.

"Harry, please! Let me come with you!"

Hermione stepped up. "We don't have time for this. Ginny, you have to stay. Remember, you know more then them. This is why I trained you. You need to take over! Ginny, go!"

Ginny stared at her. She nodded finally. "Right." Her hand fell from Harry. In the next instant, she was carrying a long sword of light, rushing to help the others get out.

Hermione turned to the D.A. "Go. Help them. We can get ourselves out of here."

Then they were alone. "Come on. Get to the hole in the wall. We need to get out of Hogwarts!" They ran to the wall. As they reached it, another streak of red came at them, barely missing them. She turned, casting a shield between them as Ron and Harry rushed threw the hole in the wall. She rushed out behind them.

They took off again in a dead run. Halfway to the gates, a streak of green flew past her head, barely missing her. She fell. Hermione turned to see a Death Eater running towards her, wand raised.

A red streak of light nearly hit the Death Eater. "Get away from her!" Another streak, this one green, hit him in the back. He fell forward.

Hermione looked around to find the source of the attack. Draco had discarded his mask and was running towards her. He fell to his knees next to her. "Hermione, are you alright?"

She nodded. "Draco, you need to get out of here! You attacked one of them, they'll come after you. Go!"

A flash of red hit the ground next to them. "Do you have your wand?" he asked urgently.

She nodded. He stood and offered her his hand. She grabbed it and he pulled her up, only to have her nearly fall again. "It's my ankle, Draco."

He didn't hesitate. He pulled her up into his arms and ran. "Fight back Hermione!" It was then they realized that Ron and Harry had stopped. They were standing there, watching them. Draco continues to run towards them, yelling. "Move it! Don't just stand there!" They broke into a run again, heading to the gate.

Hermione shouted hexes at the Death Eater behind them. They cleared the gate and ran through Hogsmeade. Harry and Ron shouted warnings to the residents as they went.

Hermione's stunning spell finally hit and the Death Eater fell. Harry led them to a dark alley.

"What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" Harry demanded.

"Not now, Harry." Hermione told him. Draco set her down and went down on his haunches. His wand moved over her ankle as he murmured a few words. Then he stood and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Thanks Draco."

"Hermione, what's he doing here?" Ron asked.

They ignored him. "Do you have your bag?" Draco asked her.

She nodded. "Draco, you can't stay here. They saw you. You have to hide."

"I know. I will. But I wasn't going to let them kill you. I told you before, I wouldn't let that happen. I couldn't."

Ron and Harry watched in shock as Hermione kissed Draco. "Be careful Draco." she told him. Then she whispered in his ear, "I love you."

"I love you too Hermione." he whispered back. Then he straightened, letting her go. He turned and walked to Harry and Ron. "If she dies, you won't have to worry about the Dark Lord. I'll kill you myself." He turned back to Hermione. "I'll find you."

His finger brushed away a tear from her cheek before his hand dropped to his side.

A moment later, he was gone.

I apologize for how sloppily written this story was. I wrote it in a notebook first. The chapters seemed longer. This is also the first fan fiction I've ever written, so I didn't expect it to be perfect. Also, I realize that I ended this in a very abrupt way. BUT, there is a sequel to it. I'm not sure if I should post it though. Let me know what you think and if you guys really want it, I'll be glad to type it up for you. :) thanks for reading everyone! also, if the sequel goes up, the title is "Passions of War".


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